PostWar Relations
by crystalcloud
Summary: Hermione and Draco fake an engagement as part of Harry's war recovery plan. But there is more to his plan than meets the eye. Will Hermione and Draco be able to get along for this show of unity? Please R&R! COMPLETE
1. For The Sake of Unity

Hey y'all! I've written a couple of one shots and some song fics (please feel free to read them too!) but this is my first long fic… if that's what you call it.

It is post war and it's Hermione/Draco pairing. (As are all of my fics) Obviously the characters are a little OOC but it's impossible to avoid.

Hope you enjoy in and remember, I only own the plot; the rest belongs to J.K Rowling.

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

The sun rose, letting its light drip over the dim grey landscape. Birds flew about, the day's business already well underway.

On opposite sides of a tall apartment building, two of the brightest students from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry stirred in their beds.

As the beams of light peeked through gaps in the curtains intensified, they woke up, rubbing sleep from their eyes.

After a moment of contemplating, reality set in and two loud groans echoed through out the building.

……………………………………………………………….

Draco Malfoy could not believe the hand fate had dealt him yesterday. He had changed sides, helped Potter and his followers win the war, turned the name Malfoy into that of loyalty and strength.

What was his payment? His reward? A month with none other that Hermione Granger.

Just as he was thinking this, Hermione was sitting holding her head in her hands, trying to comprehend the cruelness of her friends. Well, except for Ron who had been on her side about the whole idea.

They had insisted that unity be promoted all over the country. It was called 'Post-War Relations'.

They had arrived at the apartment building the previous evening. Both only exchanged brief greetings before escaping to their rooms.

Now that dawn had come, they were to go out and face the public as any couple who were deeply in love with one another.

Oh the torture of it all.

With small mutterings they both got up and began preparation for the day or days ahead.

Draco thought that he was probably required to go and pick Granger up or at least go to her apartment. He locked his door and made the long journey down the corridor.

Just as Hermione was making her bed she heard a knock on the door.

"Yes?" She called out putting down the pillow and going to the door.

"It's me, are you decent?" Hermione froze 'Great' she thought grimly 'Malfoy has come to wish me goodmoring.'

"Yes I am, come in." She replied turning around, knowing he could unlock the door himself.

"Morning Granger." He said closing the door with a flick of his wand.

Hermione set the cups and kettle to brew some coffee and set about making some toast for her and her fiancé.

"Morning Malfoy, did you sleep well?" Hermione replied faking a cheesy smile.

"Very well." Draco drawled in reply. He sat on a stool at the breakfast bar and watcher Granger prepare breakfast.

He had agreed to this because he had been very drunk when Potter had asked him for a favour. Unfortunately, Granger had been rather pissed too so both of them had signed their lives away without knowing.

"Really Granger, there is no need to cook for me." He smirked at her.

She looked at him down her nose. "I don't believe in slave labour Malfoy."

"Oh come now, we've talked about this before; house elves like to work." He said continuing to smirk.

"They are slaves and don't know any better!" Hermione retorted angrily.

Draco tilted his head side ways as though contemplating something "No fiancé of mine will have to cook and clean."

Hermione couldn't be more angry with his arrogant attitude. "I thought you said the Malfoy name had changed."

"It has. That doesn't mean the public can see you doing chores." He replied pompously.

Hermione shook her head firmly "I'm not going to let you tell me what I can and can't do."

Draco stood up "You will get a house elf." He said tightly.

"No!" She snapped.

Draco sighed in exaggerated frustration "You are so stubborn Granger! It's not good for the Malfoy name if you go around doing dishes and cooking your own food!"

Hermione leaned over the bench to poke Draco in the chest "You don't get to order me around like I'm some kind of maid. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself; I don't need a house elf."

Draco brushed her hand away angrily "It's not a matter of _needing _one. It's a-"

"Way of showing everyone that the Malfoy's just like to throw their power around and enslave innocent creatures!" Hermione interrupted.

Draco was steaming with anger. "You have no idea what I have done for my family name Granger, you dare stand here and lecture me!"

Hermione knew he had tried, they had fought together but that didn't make him any less irritating.

"You're not over the fact that you're going to have to give up some of that power and money in order to restore you're reputation!" She gave him a disgusted look and turned away.

"You think it's easy? Do you think I can just throw my money to the poor and set all my house elves free then everyone will like me?" He yelled to her back.

Hermione stiffened, this was getting personal, something she didn't want to get with Malfoy.

"No, its not. That doesn't mean I have to start acting like your mother."

'Opps' Hermione thought. She could feel the flames of Malfoy's anger licking at her back.

"How dare you talk about my mother that way." He said quietly. Hermione came to realise he was very intimidating when he whispered that way.

Silence stretched between them, Hermione too afraid to face him but not really wanting to move either.

"I'm sorry." She finally said, stepping further away from him and turning to face him. He was tight lipped and in his eyes, an angry fire was roaring.

He continued to unnerve her by staring into her eyes.

"You will never understand me Granger, because you don't want to." He whispered. Some of the fire died down but she knew it could easily flare up again.

"Can you blame me?" She replied just as quietly.

He looked at her, a curious expression on his face "No, I don't think I could."

Hermione stepped closer and placed two slices of toast onto a plate for him.

"How much do you hate me?" He asked her as she reached into the bag for some more bread.

She was taken aback by his question and how intimate it was. It felt like he was doing some soul searching, but she could hardly help him.

"I don't hate you." She said giving him the plate and popping her own toast down.

He came around the counter and opened the pantry door. Hermione stood watching him in slight awe as she sifted through her spreads frowning as he read the labels.

Finally he pulled out the peanut butter and returned to his seat.

"I find that hard to believe Granger." He continued opening the jar and looking around.

Hermione quickly pulled a butter knife from the drawer and handed it to him. He nodded in thanks and began spreading it over his toast.

"I don't. At Hogwarts I did, but not now." She said picking up a cup of coffee and placing it in front of him.

"Potter wants us to act as though we are in love and that nothing, not even blood and class, would stop us from being together." He chuckled without humour.

"Yes. I guess that's what he wants." She agreed warily taking a sip from her own cup.

Draco looked up at her, she couldn't see anything past the wall he had erected around his mind.

"But he wants more than that."

Hermione had never talked to Draco before, certainly not like this. She didn't know if she liked him like this or not, his train of thought was hard to follow.

"What do you mean?" She reached across and took the peanut butter. He handed her the knife before continuing.

"He wants to test my loyalty."

"What?" Hermione paused and looked at him "But you've already proved yourself."

Draco smirked "You think Potter really trusts me? No, he's testing how far I would go for his cause."

Hermione couldn't believe that, Harry had told her many times that he knew Malfoy had changed.

"It's not true, he just wants to show everyone that we can all get along. He already trusts you." She continued to prepare her toast.

"Believe what you will Granger." Draco said before taking a bite.

"I think you should call me Hermione." She also took a bite, thinking about how they would come across to the public.

"I guess I could manage that." Draco smirked. "Does that mean you have to call me Draco?"

Hermione cringed inwardly but nodded. "Yes, I will need to won't I?"

Draco took another bite and a comfortable silence fell between them.

"You're apartment is very unorganised." He said matter-of-factly as though conversing about the weather.

"Excuse me? Its very nice!" Hermione looked around, pictures and paintings her parents had sent her were hanging on the wall. She had blue couches and an antique wooden coffee table.

"_Nice_?" Draco raised an eyebrow sceptically "Granger, it's all different. You have no colour scheme."

Hermione could not believe how he had been nice one moment and now he was back to the rude pompous prat.

"There is! Look blue couches, blue cushions on the dining table." She pointed around the room in illustration.

"Yes, but its not consistent, look, red lamp and flowers, crème curtains, black picture frames." He also pointed around the apartment.

Hermione sighed "Let me guess, you want to hire a dozen house elves and some snot-nosed designer to re-decorate my apartment?"

Draco laughed "No, I don't think the designer would want to come in."

Hermione felt ready to burst, Draco obviously saw this too.

"I think that toady isn't the best day to spend together." He smiled falsely as he stood and drained his cup "We can talk again later."

Before Hermione could say anything, Draco apparated out of her apartment. She had a feeling he wasn't going back to his own place for a rest, he struck her as someone who was easily bored.

'Draco.' She said in her head. 'Draco… Who would name their child something so horrible?'

She sighed and sat down to finish her breakfast.

…………………………………………………………………………………….

Late in the afternoon as Hermione was reading, there was a small pop announcing the return of her fiancé. 'His name is Draco' she told herself firmly.

"Granger!" He called out from the lounge. Hermione reached for her book mark but found she couldn't find it.

"Granger!" He yelled again, she could tell he was angry at something.

"Yes I'm coming! Impatient little snot." She muttered under her breath before getting up and picking her book mark up from the floor.

Draco obviously could not wait and burst into her room his eyes blazing.

"I can't believe Potter! I'm going to kill him!" He yelled. Hermione put the book mark in place and looked up at him.

"What's going on?" She pushed him out of her room but he appeared not to notice, he began pacing her kitchen while running his hand through his hair.

"I'm going to kill him." He kept saying, Hermione hoped he wasn't serious because she knew the public certainly wouldn't believe he had changed if he did.

"Why? What has Harry done?" She stood on the other side of the bench, feeling safer if something hard and solid was between them.

"What did he do?" He turned to face her, his gaze felt like a physical blow. "He arranged this whole bloody affair, that's what!"

Hermione sat on one of the stools in shock.

"Oh. But you knew that before didn't you?" She asked quietly.

Draco shook his head "He told my coach I can't play because I'm planning my wedding. Was very clear that I should, under no circumstances, be allowed to play."

Hermione suddenly understood the anger and frustration. Draco loved quiddich and not being able to play was probably something very big for him.

"I'm sure you can talk to Harry about it. It's mostly the woman who plans the wedding anyway." She tried to comfort him, but he only ran his hand through his hair again.

"I've already talked to Potter, who found the whole thing quite amusing."

Hermione frowned, she foresaw complications between Draco and Harry – not that there wasn't tension already.

"I'll talk to him." She offered.

Draco shook his head "No, he won't change his mind." He said before storming out of her apartment and slamming the door behind him.

Hermione remained sitting, surprised by his outburst. He had come to her.

When she thought about it though, she realised that he had no one else to go to. His parents were dead, he was the last one in his family alive and he had no real friends. She was his only confidant.

She understood what he meant now when he said she would never understand him. It was true he had cut all ties with people who would have helped him if the resistance were after him, he was defenceless. And his worst childhood enemies were the only protection he had from the remaining vengeful death eater clans.

Hermione decided that she wanted to understand him.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

So that is just the first chapter. Did you like it? Please review!

Thanks!


	2. Press Conference

Here is the next chapter, hope you guys like it. Any ideas or improvements are welcome.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"What time is the press conference?" Draco drawled making Hermione jump. She had been seated on the couch reading through some of her students papers and never heard him arrive.

"Uh, one." She answered getting up to make him a cup of coffee.

He followed her to the kitchen and remained silent until she placed the cup in front of him.

"Thank you. So what do we do until then?" Hermione stopped and eyed Draco suspicious. "What?"

"You just thanked me." She said disbelieving.

Draco smirked "We are engaged now aren't we?" All traces of his anger from yesterday were gone.

Hermione shook her head in helplessness. "Of course we are hun, how could I forget?"

Draco chuckled at her, feeling that it could be a lot worse if he didn't find her attractive.

"You don't have plans then dearest?"

Hermione shook her head while spreading marmalade on her toast. "No, I thought we had to spend the day together."

"You make it sound as though you don't like the idea." Draco smirked again over his coffee.

"I don't." Came the short reply, followed by a plate of toast being shoved roughly under his nose.

"You're anger is most unbecoming of a young lady." He got up and caught her in his arms as she came around the bench.

"What are you doing?" She cried in shock trying to pull away but his hold on her was firm.

"I'm playing the part, don't tell me you don't like it." He said feigning a look of hurt.

It was so out of character that Hermione could not stop herself from laughing. Draco laughed with her.

"If you try to enjoy it, it won't be so bad." He explained.

Hermione looked up and saw a changed man. He still had the smirk and the arrogance (sometimes anyway) but he wasn't evil, he had fought with them and killed his own father as a test of loyalty.

He was worth her time and friendship.

"Yeah, maybe it won't be so bad after all."

………………………………………………………………………………………….

After breakfast Hermione and Draco decided to walk the streets so people would see how happy they were together.

Inside, the long practiced reflex of revulsion had to be continually shoved down under the new tentative friendship that had formed.

"I think we need a plan." Hermione said quietly as they stopped to look at a shop window.

"I thought this _was_ your plan." Draco replied raising an eyebrow in question.

"I mean for after, we need something to do."

Draco nodded in understanding but was otherwise silent as they strolled on.

"So you don't have any ideas?" She finally asked.

"Ah… No."

Silence stretched between them.

"Must we even do anything?" He said after a while.

"Yes, why?"

A crowd of people walked past them and a series of confused expressions were directed at them.

"We can't have other lives? Other things to do?" He continued unfazed. He almost sounded hopeful.

Hermione pretended to look at a gold bracelet in a jewellery shop window.

"No, we're supposed to be _engaged_, simply overjoyed at the notion of spending our _entire_ lives together."

Draco grimaced as though he was in pain. "No need to get nasty, I think I'm going to have nightmares."

Hermione could not help but laugh. "It's not too bad is it?"

Draco placed a hand to his temple and began to massage it. "Yes, it is quite bad Granger."

Hermione suddenly took his arm and pulled him into the jewellery store, her mind reeling with possibilities.

"What are you doing?" He hissed in her ear as they stumbled through the door.

"It just occurred to me that you're a Malfoy." She said as though that just suddenly make everything clear.

"It _just_ occurred to you? Did you think I was Weasley? Or Potter?" He stared at her as though she had just grown another head.

She smiled and led him over to a stand where everything seemed to glitter so much it hurt to look in that direction.

"Well no, but I realised that you _are_ the only Malfoy left and you inherited all the money."

She paused looking intently at a diamond ring.

Draco blanched when he saw her point.

"If you think that just because I'm a Malfoy and I have money that I will buy you everything in this shop-"

She turned and placed a finger on his lips. "If you continue talking like that, hun" She smirked bearing an uncanny resemblance to a Slytherin "people might get the idea you're not happy with our engagement."

Slowly she took her fingers away and continued to browse through the expensive range of diamond encrusted jewellery.

Draco stood, mouth slightly agape as he came to terms with his predicament.

"You can buy one thing." He whispered into her ear as his arms encircled her waist.

She felt her chuckle. "One thing from _this _shop dearest."

Draco paused 'That sounded so much like an evil laugh' he thought bitterly.

………………………………………………………………………………………

When they returned to Hermione's apartment two hours later, Draco's account balance was considerably lower and between them, they could barely hold all the bags.

"I swear Granger, you will pay me back." Draco muttered, receiving only a laugh as a reply.

"You don't believe me?" He asked challengingly.

Hermione smiled brightly "No. And the name's Hermione."

Draco rolled his eyes and put the bags down.

"I'm going back to my apartment, to get ready."

Hermione nodded "Alright, I need to get ready myself."

Draco quickly left before she could ask him to buy her another outfit for the press conference.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

Upon their arrival, the camera began to flash like crazy and it felt as though every reporter in Europe had come to get a story.

Draco placed a protective arm around Hermione's waist as they struggled through the crowd.

Once inside Hermione suddenly turned around and buried her head into Draco's shoulder.

He was taken aback by her actions but could not fight the instinct to protect her so he wrapped his arms around her. "It'll be okay." Though he wasn't exactly sure what it was that was going to be okay.

She looked up her expression a mix of fear and apprehension. "There are so many people out there."

Draco glanced out to the mob of hungry vultures waiting for a piece of the Granger-Malfoy affair.

He tried to put on a calm façade for himself just as much as Hermione.

"It'll be okay, just stick to our story and everything will be alright."

She followed his gaze and shivered slightly. "You're right." She said straightening and taking his hand in her warm grasp. "Lets go."

The noise was deafening once they entered the room. Camera's flashing and reporters on cell phones having heated conversations There was a lot of parchment rustling and cameras rolling.

If Harry wanted to promote unity, he was getting what he wanted. Here a mixture of muggle and wizard reporters gathered eager to make their story the headliner.

Draco led Hermione to the table where two seats were placed for them. When they sat down the room quietened.

There was a moment when they sat, unsure of what to do, but their thoughts were soon interrupted when a young woman wearing dark red lipstick raised her hand.

When both pairs of eyes were on her she spoke out clearly to them. "Can you tell us how you met?"

A few heads nodded in agreement, quills and pens hovering over parchment they awaited the answer with the anticipation of animals in a zoo of feeding time.

Draco cleared his throat. "We ah, met during the war and worked together for a while."

Already quills were racing across parchment while others waited for more.

"Once the war was over" Hermione began "we spent a lot of time together."

They were interrupted by a middle aged muggle news reporter. "Is it true you both attended the same school?"

Both Draco and Hermione nodded unleashing a hoard of questions.

"Does your relationship effect your work?"

"How do you keep together when you were once enemies?"

"Do you both agree in Harry Potter's plan for muggle-wizard unity?"

"How much did your engagement ring cost Miss Granger?"

"When do you think your wedding will be?"

"Mr Malfoy, is it true you were a loyal servant of the dark lord?" The room was cast into silence and Draco looked slightly uncomfortable.

"He has proven his loyalty to us many times; Draco is dedicated to our cause." Hermione said quickly.

The news reporter spoke again "But he was once set to kill Harry Potter?" Once again, Draco looked lost for words.

"That is between Draco and other members of the government." She saved again, but someone else noticed Draco's discomfort.

"Why does Mr Malfoy not answer for himself?" There was a pause where Hermione decided that it was better not to answer this one.

"I ah…" Draco cleared his throat once more. "I have declared my allegiance to Harry Potter and accept that I have made many mistakes in the past."

The press went crazy and under the table Hermione grasped Draco's hand.

"But you were ordered by the Dark Lord to kill him?"

"I… yes I was."

"What encouraged you to join the resistance force?"

Draco paused, thinking. "There was a time when I realised the I was on the wrong side." He said ambiguously.

"What made you realise?" A prim young man asked rudely pointing his quill in Draco's direction as he spoke. "The killing of the torture?"

Draco turned a very unhealthy shade of green at this question.

"No comment." Came the uneven voice.

"Did you kill Dumbledore?" Another wizard reporter asked.

"No." He said firmly.

"Were you assigned to kill him?"

"Yes." He said, again the press shuffled.

"Were you ever assigned to kill Miss Granger?"

Draco could not understand the way the press was attacking him. "No, never." He said making sure he met as many eyes as possible.

"Miss Granger, do you ever think the Mr Malfoy is conspiring behind your back?"

Hermione shook her head firmly grasping Draco's hand tighter. "No of course not, if I did I would never have agreed to marry him."

Draco intertwined their fingers in a show of appreciation.

"How many people have you killed Mr Malfoy?" The question made ever reporter tremble in excitement.

"I have killed one while in service of the Dark Lord and twenty for the resistance." The crowd hushed.

"How do you feel about some people wanting you sent to Azkaban?"

"I… I" Draco faltered slightly "I have proven myself time and time again, my loyalties are completely dedicated to the resistance."

There was another pause as the press digested this information.

"Did you kill you father as a test of loyalty to Harry Potter?"

Hermione knew Harry had drilled Draco on how to answer this specific question but began to get very irritated with the way they were tearing Draco up.

"No. Harry told me that there was no test I could take to prove my loyalty other than fighting along-side him. About my father, what passed between us is confidential but it is true that I killed him." Draco answered carefully.

Quills continued to race while cameras continued to flash.

"Miss Granger, have you ever considered marry Harry Potter?" Hermione certainly had, wondering what the life would be like, but watching the press jump on Draco like starving animals, she decided that a life in the limelight wasn't for her.

"No, Harry is one of my best friends, we are close but not like that." She replied.

Draco chose then to turn and smile at her.

Camera's flashed and questions continued to fire at the couple.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Afterwards Draco hugged Hermione and tried to regain control over his madly beating heart.

"You did really well." She told him.

"Thank you." He said as they reached her apartment.

They stood looked at each other for a moment before Draco leaned down and kisser Hermione on the lips.

"Thank you for being there for me."

And then, without another word, Draco turned and was halfway down the corridor.

Hermione stood in shock, but soon came to her senses and went inside.

'He just kissed me.' She thought, stunned.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

So how did you think it's coming along? I thought maybe some parts were a bit dragged out but I would really love to know what **you **think.

Thanks for reading! Please continue…!


	3. Press Conference Reprecussions

So here is chapter three. I know I put all this up at once, but I wrote it on paper while on holiday so the first few chapters are just being typed up (like this one). Hope you all like it!

Don't forget to review!

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The next morning Hermione was woken up by an insistent tapping at her window. She lumbered out of bed and allowed a grey owl to fly in and drop the day's paper on her bed before flying out again.

She stood at the window, allowing the cool morning breeze to wake her up. Soon she shivered and shut the window, quickly setting up breakfast she sat and skimmed the Daily Prophet for any news about yesterday's press conference.

When the clattering of cups and toaster stopped she sat down and began to nibble at her muffin while reading one of the many articles about her and Draco.

_**The Alliance of the Century; True of False?**_

_At a specially organised press conference yesterday afternoon, newly engaged Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger spoke about their relationship._

'Got ripped to shreds for was conspiracies more like it.' Hermione thought bitterly.

_The press were told that Mr Malfoy, now sole owner of Malfoy and Inc. and all of his family's assets, proposed with 10 000 Galleon diamond ring. Miss Granger was wearing the ring at the time and assures that it is real._

_Although is would appear this couple is madly in love with one another, many question Mr Malfoy's true intentions. He confirmed that he did kill his father and that he was a loyal follower of the Dark Lord._

_Questions regarding the death of Professor Albus Dumbledore and the nearly successful attempt to murder Harry Potter were ignored and both Mr Malfoy and Miss Granger refused to comment._

_Mr Malfoy says he has "declared his allegiance to Harry Potter" and "Proven himself time and time again."_

_This supposedly happy couple appeared uncomfortable and both left the conference earlier than expected._

Hermione nearly spat out her coffee. 'Both left early?' She knew they had stayed for half an hour more than planned.

This article made her look like an idiot under the Imperius and Draco a traitor waiting to kill everyone. It was complete rubbish!

But sadly she realised thousands of wizards would be reading this and drawing their own conclusions of how authentic this relationship was. Hermione certainly didn't love Draco, yet, but they were friends and she had not lied when she said he had proven himself to them.

She trusted him not to kill her, but perhaps that was as far as it went. He was one of the most intelligent wizards from Hogwarts and he had no doubt thought about thousands of ways to hex her. The thought made her chuckle, surprising even herself.

A light knocking on her door interrupted her thoughts, Draco opened the door and stepped through his face blank.

"You've read it then?" He said, each word halting the forced.

Hermione waved her wand to prepare him some much needed coffee. "Yes I have." She replied, trying to think of a way to comfort him.

"By lunch time everyone will think I'm a traitor." He slumped down on the couch looking every bit the defeated soul he felt.

"Not everyone." Hermione said softly handing him his coffee. He took it but didn't drink any.

"Most of them will, and what good will this relationship be?" He placed the mug on the coffee table and leaned back, staring outside.

Lost of words, Hermione took his hand. He squeezed hers in response but said nothing.

After a moment, Hermione took a deep breath "It would be good for me." She said.

Draco's whole body seemed to stop functioning for a moment in shock, for a second he thought he hadn't heard, but he had.

"It will?" He had turned to face her and in his eyes was fear; loneliness.

"Yes, it would be very good for me." He leaned towards her then and kissed her like never before. Feeding his depleted soul with her energy and hope.

Once they broke apart she smiled and offered him his coffee cup again.

This time he took it and drank deeply. "You make good coffee."

She laughed.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Ron owled not long afterwards telling them Harry wanted a meeting with them over lunch.

"Why doesn't the great Potter just tell us himself?" Draco complained bitterly as Hermione sent their reply.

"He's probably at quiddich training." She replied calmly.

Draco scowled "And here I am missing all my own quiddich training."

Hermione sighed 'Guys and their quiddich'. "Just because we're engaged, it doesn't mean you can't go to training."

Draco got up and opened the doors to the balcony. "It wouldn't seem authentic, I'm supposed to be unable to tear myself away from you." He smirked over his shoulder at her.

"But in reality you wouldn't give up quiddich for any girl." She stood beside him, gazing out over the busy London streets.

"Even I can't answer that because I've never been in love so I don't know what I would give up for her." He frowned slightly and Hermione could tell he was being serious and sincere, for once.

"I don't think you would. Guys don't just drop everything in their lives for someone, even if they love them." She turned to face him, leaning her hip on the rail.

"That's because most guys can't afford to. Come to think of it, most guys wouldn't spend nearly a thousand galleons on their fiancé in two hours." He smirked receiving a playful punch from Hermione.

"Don't you like the clothes I picked?" She asked pretending to be hurt.

"Of course I liked them _darling_," He said taking her hand in exaggerated tenderness. "but I just don't like the price."

They laughed together for a moment, warming the atmosphere considerably.

Hermione sat on one of the chairs and conjured a bottle of wine with two glasses.

"And Granger," Draco continued as she poured the wine. "how is it you became such an expert of this subject? From experience perhaps?"

Hermione froze, staring at him over the rim of her wine glass.

"I believe I've struck a nerve." Draco smirked again picking up the other glass and taking a sip. "Come now Granger, tell me all about it." He sat beside her waiting for her to speak.

"It's… It's just logic. It's not possible to drop everything just for one aspect of your life." She took a sip and placed her glass down, trying to act indifferent. But Draco saw the slight tremble of her hands and saw through all of her disguises.

"This has got to be a first." He drawled leaning closer to her "Why won't you tell me the truth?" It was almost a whisper and it sent shivers down her spine.

"That is the truth." Hermione said looking away.

But Draco was persistent. "You know you can't lie to me."

"I'm not lying."

"You can't fool me Granger."

"Fine!" She snapped and stood abruptly to face him. "He did it! He never spent any time with me! Never gave up anything for me! I was just not important enough!"

Draco put his glass down on the table and stood up, looking calm but inside her was shocked by her outburst. Who was this person she was talking about?

"Are you happy now? You're engaged to a has-been; a nobody." Before she could run away in shame he wrapped his arms firmly around her.

"You're not a has-been Granger, you're definitely somebody; you're my fiancé." He had intended for that to be sweet and romantic, perhaps enough to take her mind off what she had just said, but alas he had done something wrong.

Hermione pulled away, her expression of anger could only be compared to the heat of the sun. "First of all, it's **Hermione **and great, now I'm just 'the fiancé of super rich Malfoy'."

He had no opportunity to say anything in defence before she stormed inside muttering "Stupid prat."

Draco stood outside finishing his wine before waving his want to sent the unfinished bottle and glasses inside.

He couldn't comprehend his feelings for Granger. Of course he had grown accustomed to doing things to help others, hanging around with the resistance often did that, but his protective instinct was entirely new.

He also felt extremely frustrated with the fact that every time he tried to be nice he ended up being a bastard. Perhaps the paper was right, they were so entirely different it would be hard to believe they got along at all.

The picture in the Daily Prophet had shown them both looking rather uncomfortable as cameras flashed but what the picture did not show was their clasped hands under the table. He certainly hadn't imagined that.

So why couldn't they get along for more than an hour? He had begun to think he had to enquire more about Granger's past in order to understand why she reacted so angrily just then. The problem with that was, she probably wanted him out of her apartment, pronto.

'Damn' he thought to himself 'now what?'

It shocked him a little he cared so much about her that is, not post-war relations. Malfoy's never cared for anyone really, except themselves. But that had changed with his actions during the war.

Hopefully these dramas in the Prophet wouldn't undo all that hard work.

……………………………………………………………………………………..

Hermione paced her bedroom, she realised that her reaction was uncalled for and if any reporter had caught that they would hear no end to it.

She couldn't help it though, he had brought back so many memories best left forgotten.

'If only he wasn't such a nosy prat.' She thought bitterly.

There was a knock on her bedroom door. 'Three guesses as to who that could be.'

"Hermione?" Draco called. She couldn't believe how good her name sounded coming from him. "Can I come in?"

"Most definitely not!" She pounced to the door and pulled it open. "That is off limits." She continued stepping out and shutting the door firmly.

"I just wanted to talk to you actually." He said stepping back into the living area. "I wanted to say-"

"No need." She cut in, knowing an apology was hardly need from him of all people.

"But I really think that-"

"I said there was no need." She snapped. There was an awkward silence.

"I'm sorry Draco," Hermione shook her head "I don't know what's gotten into me."

Draco placed a comforting around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him on the couch.

"If you want to talk about it, I'm willing to listen." He offered softly.

Hermione smiled but shook her head slightly. "No, I don't feel like talking about it. Thanks for the gesture." She snuggled deeper into his arms and they sat enjoying each others company.

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Harry, Cho and Ron were already at the restaurant when Draco and Hermione arrived. On the way, Draco could not ignore the looks most people threw at them and how they seemed to keep their distance, as if fearing he would curse them.

He told Hermione none of this because no doubt, Potter had called this meeting to discuss the press conference.

"Hermione, Draoc, have a seat." Harry indicated to two spare chairs on the circular table. Once the waitress had taken their orders, Harry quit the small talk and became serious.

"I read some of the articles in the Daily Prophet about you." He began while the other two nodded in agreement. "And I believe there is reason for concern."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Now really Potter, where did you get that idea?"

Hermione rolled her eyes while Ron held back a snappy reply.

"This isn't a joke Malfoy, if people think you'll turn your back on us any time, you can't just break up with Hermione after a month."

"What?" They both snapped, shocked.

Harry placed a finger on his lips "Shh!" Glancing around he continued "Well then there would be no point would there?"

The group sat in silence for a few minutes.

"I saw you two shopping yesterday," Cho said pleasantly "it looked picture perfect."

"_Looked_ picture perfect," Draco said sullenly "but it was horrible for my wallet."

Cho laughed but Ron only scowled "Well it's deep enough isn't it?" Harry shot him a warning glance.

"Jealous are we Weasley?" Draco smirked also earning a glance from Harry.

"Look, we need a better plan. That press conference was a disaster. No one asked anything about the actually engagement apart from how much the ring cost."

Hermione agreed "They were tearing Draco to pieces." Draco said nothing but completely agreed.

"Then we'll have an interview." Harry announced brightly.

Draco and Hermione nearly fell out of their seats. "An interview?" Hermione squeaked.

"A lot of people have been asking for one." Cho explained.

Harry nodded "It would be easy to arrange and you can act more… in love." He said smiling.

"In some sick way," Hermione said eyeing Harry's optimism with suspicion. "I think you're enjoying this."

Draco could see he was but once again chose to be quite, thinking.

"How long would it be?" Hermione asked.

"Depends on the people" Ron explained "but around half an hour; not too long."

"Not too long?" Draco spat. "You try acting in love for half an hour."

Harry laughed with Cho "It's not that bad. I think you two may benefit from it too."

Hermione blushed slightly causing Harry to chuckled. "Well we'll let you know when a time has been arranged."

Draco snorted "We never said we would do it."

Harry looked crestfallen "Come on, Post-War relations. We need to build a new environment where there is unity and-"

"We get the idea. We'll do it." Hermione said, wanting never to hear Harry's speech he made to the government ever again.

"We'll what?" Draco asked looking stunned.

"We'll do the stupid interview." Draco looked about to retort but Harry spoke first.

"Yes, we have a few other couples who are making it public so the limelight may go away for a bit."

"Other couples?" Draco now effectively distracted. "Like who?"

"Oh mostly members of Slytherin matched up with people from other houses." Cho said.

Draco frowned "The blood is going to be mixed so much-"

"If you dare throw one more joke about being pureblood-" Ron pointed an accusatory finger at Draco who merely smirked.

"I'm just joking Weasley, pull the stick out from your arse and relax."

Ron turned three shades redder than usually "Oh very funny."

Hermione knew Ron would appreciate her support, but she couldn't help but smile like at idiot to hide her laughter. Draco must be rubbing off on her.

"Alright calm down." Harry said, trying his best to be diplomatic. "We're all friends here." He gave a meaningful looks at Ron and Draco as the waitress served them their lunch.

After a moment, Harry spoke again. "And you can't keep living in separate apartments; it's not natural."

Hermione knew _that one _was coming, but Draco seemed to have dropped some of his brain cells in his salad.

"Same apartments? What for?"

"You're _engaged_." Ron spoke as though Draco was a child. He didn't take it well but before any blood was shed Harry butt in again.

"It's just not convincing Malfoy."

Draco took a sip of wine and sat back, a contemplative expression on his face. "I know what you're up to Potter." He said.

Harry froze, fork halfway to his mouth. "You do?" He replied calmly, sitting up properly.

"Yes, you don't want this to last a month, two months or a year, do you?"

Hermione couldn't believe what Draco was saying, of course Harry wanted it to last as long as possible, it was an example of unity after all.

"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" Harry continued to eat, his voice offhand.

Draco chuckled without humour. "Potter you are positively evil."

Ron snickered "I thought you were."

"Oh but I am." Draco replied coolly. "I'm not going through with it."

Harry shook his head "You can't just up and leave, we had an agreement."

Draco stood up "You left out something important in my job description, I'm out." He took out his wallet and placed the money for his and Hermione's meals on the table before turning on his heel and leaving.

"Draco, what are you doing?" Hermione stood looking to his disappearing form. Harry waved in his direction.

"Go with him, if it looks like he's running away from you, that's bad."

Hermione gave him a withering look but grabbed her bag and left to find him anyway.

"Do you think he'll stay with us?" Cho asked, concerned for their plan.

Harry nodded sounding very confident "Yeah, I know he will."

Ron simply sat staring moodily at his lunch.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Well this is coming along well. Hope you guys are enjoying the read. Please, please don't forget to review! I really love hearing from my readers! Just a few words will suffice.

Thanks so much for reading!


	4. Friends Once Again

Okay, I hope I'm pushing these chapters out fast enough haha. Once again, don't forget to review, they really help me to keep writing.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Draco! Draco, wait!" Hermione dodged through the crowd trying to catch up with the fast paced blonde.

When she finally caught up with him she grabbed his arm and pulled him into a bookstore. He gave her an evil look, as he was about to walk away she stood in front of him and glared.

"What is your problem?"

He seemed surprised and a little frustrated with her, but when he spoke his voice was cool and calm. "How could you miss it Granger?"

"It's Hermione to you." She retorted poking him in the sternum.

"No Granger," he snapped, blue flames dancing in his eyes "I'm not doing this anymore." He was about to step around her but she blocked him again.

"Tell me, exactly what is wrong with you?"

Draco paused, staring intently at her. "In my apartment." He muttered sweeping out of the shop.

Hermione rolled her eyes and followed him along the street to their apartment block.

As they were outside his door she realised she had never been inside his apartment. She couldn't help but peer around in curiosity.

It was black and white. His couches were black leather and a glass top coffee table with black metal legs. The dining table was similar with black chairs and white cushions.

"Sit Granger and I will explain this in the simplest terms I know." Hermione sat on one of the new couches looking out the balcony door. Draco stepped in front of her view and saw opposite her, his face blank.

"So?" She raised an eyebrow and leaned back.

"Potter is trying to set us up. This engagement is to force us to actually marry." Draco spoke slowly, gazing at her as a pre-school teacher would to a particularly slow child.

"That's absolute crap." Hermione spat, shaking her head.

"Do you think Potter would ever allow us to separate? He will always say we need to e together longer and so on. Eventually saying we need to get married."

Hermione felt the need to disagree but she realised that it was true. They had walked into a trap completely unawares.

Draco saw comprehension dawn on her face and smirked. "Does it all make sense now?"

As much as she hated to admit it, he was right "Yes." She sighed "It does."

They sat in silence for a moment, the air of discomfort re-entering the space between them.

"When why are you quitting?" She asked quietly. She knew that over the last week, she had come to know Draco a lot more and now actually enjoyed his company. After the press conference she felt they had formed a kind of bond. But now she doubted his feeling about her.

"Doesn't it bother you?" He asked, sounding astounded.

Hermione thought that perhaps the thought of marrying Draco should bother her, but for some reason it didn't. "No, actually it doesn't. Does the thought of marrying a mudblood disturb you?" She added bitterly.

Draco looked up sharply. "Quite the contrary, Hermione." He whispered, coming to sit beside her. "It's not that at all."

Hermione wore a confused expression, so he took her hand and said quietly "It's just that I hate to be deceived, and I guess I was frustrated with Potter for tricking me. It was a spontaneous decision and I was angry at the time. And, I have my pride." He added smirking.

Hermione smiled "So you would take this seriously?" She asked tentively.

"Yes, I would." His reply was confident, warming Hermione's insides better that any butterbeer ever had.

"You have changed so much." She teased.

Draco laughed "I have haven't I? I don't know if all my changes are good though."

Hermione hugged him tightly, taking him by surprise. "Most are for the better." She whispered.

Draco hugged her back, feeling whole for the first time in so long. Who ever knew one week could change his life so much?

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

After much coaxing and bribing on Draco's behalf, Draco agreed to move into Hermione's apartment. Draco had offered her cars and shopping sprees but she simply refused to live in his dull excuse for a home.

"Fine! I will move to yours!" He snapped throwing his arms up in defeat.

Hermione beamed "I knew you would see it my way." Draco chose not to reply but rolled his eyes.

Laughing, Hermione grabbed a piece of parchment to write to Harry.

_Dear Harry,_

_You sneaky prat! Draco explained everything and I can't believe you would set up your best friend to marry our enemy! You've betrayed my trust._

_But fortunately for you, Draco and I are getting along and so we have both agreed to stay on board. We're staying in my apartment – because you told us to, nothing else._

_Owl me the interview time and keep in mind I won't take deception of this kind again._

_Hermione._

Draco chuckled as he read the letter over her shoulder. She folded the parchment quickly turning to frown at him. "My letters are private, thank you very much."

Draco smirked but said nothing as he prepared to transfer his belongings to her apartment.

Hermione opened the black cage where Draco's owl stood obediently and tied the letter to its leg. When she tried to get it to fly out the window, it simply returned to its cage hooting indignantly.

Hermione glanced around but Draco had disappeared so she went to the cage again. When she reached inside a large beak descended with lightning speed onto her index finger.

She shrieked and yanked her finger away but the large bird held on fast. When she pulled harder her finger was free but the bird was smacked against the edge of the cage opening which caused it to let go, squawking and flapping its wings.

The cage wobbled on its stand but every time Hermione tried to approach the cage the bird snapped its beak, squawked and beat its wings against the edge of the cage.

"WILL YOU STOP IT?" She cried trying to stop the cage from toppling.

Too late. As it fell she reached for it receiving another bite on her hand. She shrieked again as the cage crashed to the floor, the owl hooted loudly.

Just then Draco apparated into the room. He stood drinking in the scene, his face blank as he looked to his obviously agitated owl and then to his fiancé who was sucking her finger and glaring at the bird.

Swiftly he tucked his want away stepped to the cage and picked it up. He deftly pulled the owl out and it flew out the window, not without dropping the remains of Hermione's letter on the floor.

Then he came and took Hermione's hand. "What did you do to my owl? I could hear the racket from your apartment." He asked wearing an amazed expression.

Hermione snatched her hand back "What did _I _do? It's your stupid bird that attacked _me_."

Draco seemed very amused buy the whole situation which only added kindling to Hermione's angry fire. "Just _what_ is so funny?"

"Hermione, calm down. Gabrielle is a little touchy, but she'll be fine." He reassured.

"What about me? Does your bird matter more than me?" She snapped angrily. Draco took her hand quickly, mentally banging his head against the wall for his slip up, and with a swift wave of his wand healed her hand.

"Of course not my dear, your health means much more to me than Gabrielle's. He placed a kiss lightly one her fingers.

"Hermione looked to her letter. "I can't believe how much your owl resembles you." She commented lightly.

Draco chuckled. "I thought you liked me."

"Oh yes I do." She said, offhand.

"But if Gabrielle and me are similar" Draco drawled, wrapping his arms around her "why do you not like her?"

Hermione shrugged "It may have something to do with the fact that she bit me, _twice_."

"She doesn't mean that, I'll talk to her when she gets back." Draco said kissing her gently on the cheek.

Hermione laughed "You'll give your _owl_ a lecture?" Her head fit perfectly into the curve of his neck and she felt comfortable just standing there will him.

"Yes haven't you tried? Owls are intelligent, they'll listen." This only made Hermione snort.

"I don't need to because my owl listens to me."

Draco stiffened a little "Do you still have that blasted cat?"

Hermione looked up "Why?"

"I don't like cats." He said, looking down his nose at her.

"Well no, Crookshanks lives with my parents."

Draco sighed in exaggerated relief. "I hope they're okay." He teased. Hermione smacked his arm playfully.

"He's a sweet cat, not as mean as everyone says."

Draco snorted but otherwise said nothing.

Hermione decided to re-write her letter but use her _own _owl.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

This chapter is quite a bit shorter than the previous three, but the next one will be longer. It's mostly to establish some things for plot development. I hope you had fun reading about Hermione and the owl incident, it was a random thought but I had a good time writing it.

REVIEW PLEASE! Thanks a lot for reading!


	5. Quiddich Practice

Hey everyone! Oh thank you so much for the reviews!

FreeSpritSprite: I would like you to elaborate on the 'writing isn't very smooth' bit. What do you mean?

Be Confident: Yes I guess you are right and I have changed it! Thanks a lot!

Freaky neakie: Thanks for the vote of confidence .

Thank you to everyone else too! And don't stop now, keep reading and let me know what you think I can do to make it even better!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"No! I will not have that disgusting _thing_ in my room!"

"It's called art! And it's _our_ room, not just yours."

Hermione and Draco had encountered many decorating disagreements over the past three days since Draco had bought his things over.

Hermione had refused point blank to hand a painting of Malfoy Manor with a family crest as a watermark in the centre in their bedroom.

"It is not. I'm not going to wake up and look at that every morning!" Hermione stood with her arms crossed, looking flustered.

"You are going to be a Malfoy so I don't see what's wrong with hanging this here." Draco by contrast was calm and leaned against the door frame casually.

"I may take that back! It feels as thought we can't agree on anything!" She gave the painting a frown.

"It's not my fault. You're apartment is so cluttered with useless objects, can I help it if I wanted to tidy it up?"

"What about me? I let you bring in that drab coffee table, the boring white outdoor furniture and your 'art' is hanging all over the place! What about what _I _want?"

Draco stepped forward looking at the picture. He did always think it was a little dull, but tradition told him to keep it hanging. Tradition also told him being with Hermione was bad. He felt whole, so it obviously wasn't all that bad.

Maybe tradition had been wrong and perhaps it was wrong again.

"Alright, you can put it back in my apartment." Hermione stood in shock. She couldn't believe he had just given in to her like that. Every single time they argued, he had to get his way. But this time he let her have what she wanted; it was a little frightening.

"What?" She asked, still stunned.

Draco smirked "I'll take it back. Fix me a coffee will you?" He pulled out his wand and levitated the painting out of the room.

Hermione hung up the night shot of Paris and went to the kitchen to make her fiancé some strong black coffee.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

_Dear Hermione,_

_I'm glad we all reached an understanding. I've been reading some other articles about you and Draco, society is split at the moment. Some people believe you but others are sceptical._

_I've arranged an interview for you with Wireless Entertainment. It'll be on the radio ( like the one Mrs Weasley has) The interviewer wants to see you at the studio around two in the afternoon on Monday._

_I hope things go better this time._

_And thank you for not tearing me to shreds for setting you two up. If you think about it from my point of view, you two are good together._

_Just give it a try ok? Thanks a bunch!_

_Harry_

Hermione smiled as she quickly scribbled down her agreement for the interview time and gave Hedwig a treat for his journey.

"Draco!" She called getting up and letting Hedwig out the window.

Draco came out to the lounge "Yeah?" He had just come out of the shower by the look of his damp hair.

"Interview is on Monday at two." He nodded, sitting down on the couch. It had been five days since he moved in but they hadn't slept in the same room.

Hermione forced him so sleep on the couch. "Well it's certainly big enough to have as a bed" had been her argument.

Draco had once again given in to her whims but said they couldn't do it forever.

"Draco, you're so bored here, just go to quiddich training and stop moping around like your life is over." Hermione sat next to him.

Draco shook his head. "I'm okay." But Hermione knew he wasn't, it was so obvious even Crabbe and Goyle would have been able to see it.

"Go on! I'll come up with out and watch okay?" She nudged his knee with her own.

He looked up at her but said nothing.

"Oh come on! If I'm there watching you with googly eyes it'll just add authenticity."

Draco looked away "You'll be there, looking at me with googly eyes?" He tried to hide his smiled.

Hermione laughed. "Yes, because I simply _cannot_ take my eyes off you!" They laughed together. "But seriously, come on Draco!" She wined and nagged.

And whined and nagged. Until he finally threw up his hands in surrender. "Okay, alright! I'll go. Let me get my stuff."

He got up and Hermione smiled triumphantly. 'Score! That's three for me.' She thought happily.

………………………………………………………………………………………

Draco played for an English quiddich team, or so Hermione believed. Harry played for an English team as well, but a different one.

When they arrived at the training grounds, many odd looks were cast at Hermione but she just stepped closer to Draco who wrapped an arm around her shoulders protectively.

"You will be fine here won't you?" He had bought her up to a seat where she could see all of the field. She saw a few figures milling around wearing green and gold uniforms. He followed her gaze and squeezed her hand reassuringly. "They won't come near you, I'll speak to them. If anything does happened, just call for me."

Hermione wrapped her coat closer around her frame and nodded. "Sure, now go out there and show me what you've got." He laughed and kissed her forehead.

"Gladly." He trooped off to the changing rooms.

While Hermione waited she thought about her relationship with Draco. She liked him and was sure that he liked her too, but she could still remember his old self; the arrogant prat who called her Mudblood.

He was a servant of Voldemort and according to him he had murdered an auror during that time. The thought chilled her, but she knew she had killed too. She had seen her enemies die and felt triumph.

It made her sick, but that past could not be altered. She could only hope that there wouldn't ever be another war in her lifetime, because she hated the way it brought out the worst in everybody.

"Granger is it?" A voice came from behind her. She jumped out of her seat and turned around to face the speaker.

He was a man of average height with dark brown curly hair and brown eyes.

"What do you want?" She demanded, her hand sub-consciously gripping her want in her pocket.

The man held up his hands and smiled. "Malfoy certainly taught you to be careful didn't he?"

Hermione remained standing as the man came forward and sat in the row behind hers.

"No, the war taught me that."

The man laughed without humour. "Yes, I think that's a valuable lesion we all learnt."

Hermione refused to let her guard down. She hadn't been worried but what Draco had told her made her a little wary. "Who are you and why are you here?"

The man laughed again. "I'm Daniel and I'm here to watch the training." Hermione turned around to where the team were just taking off. "I'm not here to hurt you," Daniel continued "I'm a talent scout."

Hermione watched Draco kick off and fly up higher than the others.

"For what team?" She asked when he came to stand next to her.

"The World Quiddich Society is thinking of staring an international team made up of the world's greatest players. It's to promote world-wide co-operation."

Hermione laughed "That's all it's about these days."

Daniel gave her an odd look. "So you're engaged to the last Malfoy?"

"Yes, and it wasn't because of his money." She replied jokingly.

"I've read a lot about the Malfoy family over the years and throughout the war. Over the last few days there has been a lot about both of you. It's hard to decipher what is truth and what is rumour."

Hermione smiled bitterly "Yeah, everyone doubts us don't they? Well Malfoy isn't half bad, he doesn't deserve what everyone keeps giving him."

Daniel nodded slowly and watched Draco as he dived down at break-neck speed and when he finally rose, the snitch was caught firmly in his hand. His team mates clapped and descended to talk to their coach who was beaming.

"The Malfoy family has been notoriously evil for centuries, if Draco Malfoy thought he could change all that by saving a few lives, he mustn't be as smart as his school proclaims."

Hermione turned to retort but realised that the man was right. Draco could try but he couldn't expect everyone's opinion to change suddenly. But there was one thing she wanted to defend.

"He did more than just save a few lives." She whispered quietly.

Daniel turned to face her, a sad smile on his lips "Yes, he killed even more."

Draco flew up and landed softly on Hermione's other side. "Is there a problem?" He asked coolly. 'just like he spoke at Hogwarts.' She thought.

"No, nothing is wrong." She replied smiling.

"Who are you?" He asked stepping between Hermione and Daniel. Quickly she grabbed Draco's arm, a little alarmed by his reaction.

"He's a talent scout, you know? From the WQS." She spoke hurriedly.

Draco squeezed her hand but continued to speak to Daniel. "A talent scout?"

Daniel nodded calmly. "Mr Malfoy I presume?"

"Yes." Draco answered curtly. "Are you done?" Daniel smiled and nodded slightly to Hermione when he stepped past.

"I was done a while ago Mr Malfoy. Congratulations on your engagement by the way." Both of them watched until he disappeared.

"He was watching you." Hermione said looking out to the other players on the field.

Draco leapt smoothly onto his broom and hovered in front of her. "Yeah? Was he impressed?" He smirked.

"I couldn't really tell." Hermione replied honestly. "He was talking about … other things." She was unable to summarise what Daniel had told her.

"Oh I see." Draco said looking around casually. "If I find out these _things_ could be classified as flirting, I'm going to shove my broom so far up his arse he won't be able to move, and then I'll show him what Voldemort taught me to do with my enemies."

Without another word, he flew off to his coach who had been trying to get his attention for a while. Hermione was left with a disturbing image and many troubling thoughts.

Draco felt the need to protect her, obsessively. She was a confident woman and wouldn't be able to stand it if he tried to protect her all the time.

He was also very dangerous. She felt sorry for any man that Draco thought was flirting with her. She got the feeling, no matter what she said, he wouldn't let anyone walk free.

What her mind chose to bring up was the fact that she would never be afraid of him hurting _her._ Somehow, she knew he was doing this because he cared and he was jealous.

She also came to realise the fact that she liked it.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

After training, Draco met Hermione at the bottom of the pitch.

"You are very good." She said jogging towards him

He smirked "Of course."

"Don't get cocky now." She tapped his nose gently with her index finger.

He frowned as he brushed her hand away. "So what now?" She said giggling.

"Come ride with me." He said holding his broom out to her.

Hermione backed away "No, I don't like flying."

Draco stepped forwards smirking "Afraid of height dearest?"

"I… I just don't like brooms." Hermione swallowed audibly at the thought of being so high up; so far from the ground on a stick.

Draco however, was stuck on the idea. "I'll be right behind you. Come on, it'll be _romantic_."

Hermione snorted "Romantic? Give me a break." She turned away and Draco went to grab her wrist, but she anticipated it and dodged out of reach. Draco went to grab her again, but she jumped away. He sighed in frustration as he jumped on his broom, flew past and picked her bodily from the ground.

Hermione screamed making Draco think he should get now ear drums afterwards.

"Will you stop it!" He yelled as she continued to scream.

She was seated in from of him, her hands clutching the handle so hard her knuckles were white. She did stop but was literally trembling like a leaf.

Draco wrapped his arm around her tightly and pulled her closer to him so he could speak in her ear. "It's alright, I won't let you fall. Just calm down." He coaxed gently.

Slowly she stopped trembling but her rigid form refused to relax.

"Say something Hermione." He chuckled as they circled the pitch.

"You're a bastard and when we land I'm going to hex your balls off." She snapped.

Draco laughed "I guess we won't land then." He tilted the broom and they rose even higher.

"Stop! Stop! Let me get off!" Hermione screamed.

Draco slowed down but remained at goal-post height. "There really is no reason to be afraid, trust me."

Hermione shoved her elbow into his ribs. "Let me down!" She yelled again.

Draco winced and let go of the broom to rub his ribs which were probably bruised. The broom wavered a bit causing Hermione to shriek even more.

"Let me down!" She yelled into his ear.

'Does she think I can't hear her?' he thought, quickly deciding that it wasn't really worth the trouble and heading towards the ground.

When they got there, Hermione leapt off and ran away. Draco stood there, still massaging his ribs thinking that he really had done it this time.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Okay I know that the whole Hermione-Draco flying has be done a lot and I didn't exactly produce an original version but it just sort of felt right. Yes it is rather sneaky of Harry to try and stop Draco from playing…why? Dun dun dun! Haha you'll find out soon enough.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!


	6. Harry's Plan Hiccups

Here is the next chapter, for people who really love Harry, I'm sorry if you don't like this bit. But I don't think he's a bad person so you know, I'm not going to be all cruel about it.

**A/N: **I am very, very sorry! I just realised that in all my previous chapter the breaks I put didn't show up! So that's why the story seemed a bit broken up. I've replaced them now and there is ………… where the break should have been before. Sorry for the confusion!

Ok now you can start reading!

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Draco stepped into the apartment in the early evening and found that it was empty.

'Great.' He thought bitterly. He put his things away and stood in the living area, trying to decide what to do.

'She could be anywhere.' He concluded. The thought occurred to him that she could be with Harry or Weasley.

But Potter was crossed off the list when he apparated into the room.

"Malfoy." He said coolly. Draco was a little thrown off by his arrival but tried not to show it.

"Yes Potter? To what do I owe this visit?" He sat down casually.

Harry stood looking at him, his eyes showing a great number of emotions, frustration being the most obvious. "I heard you went to quiddich training today."

Draco smirked as he realised what Potter's visit was all about, he couldn't believe he hadn't seen it before. With so many things on his mind he hadn't even considered the possibility, until now.

"Yes, had a wonderful practice actually, got my best time yet." This only seemed to make Harry more frustrated.

"I thought you were told not to attend team practices, Hermione needs your time." He said as though scolding a child.

Draco raised an eyebrow "Really? Who told the coach that?"

Harry frowned at him, clearly unhappy with the way things had gone. "I did. You're supposed to be there with her, _all the time_." He emphasized. "Why did you go?"

"Because she told me to, it's not like I was unhappy about it." Draco got up and stepped towards Harry. "You knew a scout was coming didn't you? You knew he was looking for players; for a seeker."

Silence filled the room. It crept up on them and soon every crevice was filled with hostility.

"I didn't say anything about a scout Malfoy." Harry said quietly.

"Oh? Well you didn't need to, I can tell you knew. Your reasons for stopping me playing quiddich aren't as innocent as they seem." Draco drawled, refusing to give in to his anger.

"I did it for Hermione." Harry replied looking Draco in the eye. "I would beat you any day Malfoy."

Draco stepped back, smirking "Then why take me out of the game Potter? Afraid I might be picked over you?"

"No." Harry snapped, it was unconvincing and Draco frowned.

"I thought you were a good person, you're supposed to be some almighty hero."

Harry gave a cold look "I am doing my best for everyone."

"Oh yes, I'm sure you are." Draco said, pretending to be off hand.

Silence fell over them again.

"He did come today." Draco said, obviously hitting a nerve. "He watched me play for quite some time."

Harry's hand twitched but other wise he said nothing.

Their silence was interrupted when Hermione walked through the door. Both turned to face her as she came in, her arms loaded with groceries.

Immediately she sensed the tension. "Are you guys alright?" She asked putting the groceries down.

Draco looked to Harry who was attempting to reconfigure his face into something more pleasant. "Yes, everything is just fine, Potter was just leaving." He said moving to the kitchen.

Harry stood smiling vacantly at Hermione before walking past her. "I'll talk to you some time before the interview." He spoke brightly and left shutting the door softly.

"What was that all about?" Hermione asked when Harry had left.

Draco was putting away Hermione's shopping and pretended not to hear her.

"Draco?" She asked again coming right behind him.

"Yes? What is it?" He smiled but she could see right through it.

"What happened between you and Harry? I thought we were all _friends_." She cornered him by the cupboards and put her hands on her waist.

"Nothing, we are friends… sort of." He shrugged.

"Draco Malfoy, you tell me what is going on right now!" She demanded somehow managing to make it seem as though she was towering over him when he was actually taller.

"I'll tell you if you let me out." He replied.

She seemed to contemplate this for a moment before stepping away and pushing him to the breakfast bar and onto a stool. "Speak." She ordered.

"You're _wonderful_ friend Potter come to talk about my quiddich practice." He began, Hermione frowned but said nothing. "Turns out he's very frustrated with me seeing as I went and this happened to be the day the scout came."

"What? Harry knew about the scout?" Hermione tilted her head sideways in thought.

"Yes, he did. He didn't want to me play because the scout is looking for one more player; a seeker." He paused, waiting for Hermione to put all the pieces together.

"But Harry would never do that!" Was her first reaction. He knew it was coming and sighed.

"You can believe what you want, but he's out to ruin my career, I swear. He knows I can beat him." Draco turned to stand up, only to find Hermione's hand pushing him back down.

"Did he say that?" She asked, her face very close to his.

He pushed her back a little, uncomfortable with her in such close proximity. "Of course not! He was clearly angry that I was training while the scout was there. He isn't all flowers and candy."

Hermione shook her head "Harry knows you play quiddich very well, but he's never been worried by your competition before."

Draco chuckled. "You obviously don't follow quiddich very closely. Over the last six months Potter and I have been battling it out for the fastest time to catch the snitch."

Hermione seemed surprised "Really? Oh I didn't know. So what does that have to do with it?"

"I've beaten him three times, _in a row_." Draco announced proudly "He's afraid that he won't be picked for the international team."

"Oh I see." Hermione seemed lost in thought. "But you're playing now aren't you? And the scout saw you."

"Yes he did, I don't know if he's seen Potter play yet, but he wants this spot badly." Draco replied.

"Why is this team so important?" She asked suddenly, turning away to put more things away.

Draco remained in his seat. "Because it is labelled 'The Best Players in the World' and Potter would like to think he is the best seeker in the world. It would only heighten his fame."

Hermione failed to understand how it could mean so much but nodded as though she did. "Do you want to be on the team?"

"Yes, I don't think it would do my name any harm." Draco smirked, thinking of how good it would feel to beat Potter, again.

"Well I don't know what to do." Hermione said sighing. "Whoever gets picked is in I guess."

Draco laughed "So you aren't going to take a side?"

"No, how can I?" She turned to scowl at him. "You can't make me chose between what is right for me and what is right for our image."

Draco chose to stop there, sensing he was near that line he wasn't supposed to cross.

"So, are you feeling better now?" He asked attentively.

Hermione shrugged with her back to him. "I'm recovered."

Draco went around and hugged her. "Were you really afraid you would fall?" He whispered into her ear.

"Not really." She replied turning around in his arms and hugging him.

"I wouldn't have let you." She said kissing her lightly.

She smiled "I know, and I guess and am on your side."

Draco raised an eyebrow but didn't question her in case she changed her mind.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

This is again a short chapter, but I hoped you liked it and it answers your questions as to why Harry wanted Draco to stop playing. It'll carry on, the little disagreements between them, I think it spices things up a little.

Don't worry, the interview is coming up. He he. Please review!

…CrYsTaLcLoUd…


	7. House Elves and the Press

Hello, here is the next instalment! Hope you enjoy it.

There is a tiny little bit of language but I think you will all be able to handle it .

Happy reading

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Hermione woke up on Saturday morning as the smell of eggs and bacon floated through her door. She stretched and sniffed, confirming that it wasn't a dream; someone had made her breakfast!

She got out of bed and wrapped a deep blue gown around her before making her way into the kitchen.

There was no one there, well she didn't see anyone at first and the cooking utensils seemed to be moving around quite happily on their own.

When she walked past though, she saw something that was definitely _not _a pan. She leaned over the counter top and she saw-

"A HOUSE ELF!" She yelled. The poor creature jumped, dropping an egg. It quickly began wiping up the mess talking frantically.

"Oh Ma'am, Lottie is very sorry! Very sorry!" But Hermione paid the elf no heed, she turned around sharply to find Draco had come in, startled by her yelling.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" She screamed pointing at the now quivering elf. It glanced from Draco to Hermione and back again, fear in its eyes.

Draco tried to pull Hermione out of the room but she pushed his hand away "WHERE DID THIS ELF COME FROM?" She demanded.

Draco thought once again if Hermione thought he was deaf. "I brought it here."

Hermione pushed him then, causing him to stumble into the dining table. "What are you doing Granger?" He asked angrily as he recovered.

"I TOLD YOU I WON'T HAVE A HOUSE ELF!" She continued to scream.

The poor creature in question placed two plates of breakfast and orange juice on the counter, trying to be quiet but Hermione heard the glasses on the bench and turned to face it. "STOP IT!" She yelled.

The elf froze, looking up at her. The master had told her that his fiancé might be angry to see her, but she had never imagined she would be _this_ angry. Lottie started to run through all that she had done since arriving at the apartment and wondered if it was something she had done wrong.

"Stop yelling and calm down!" Draco grasped her arm and pushed her into the lounge. Before he entered the room he quickly turned back to the elf "You just wait there." He ordered curtly.

"What did I tell you? I said I can take care of myself, I can make my own food and I don't need a-"

"I KNOW!" Draco bellowed. This uncharacteristic outburst stunned Hermione into silence. She stood, staring at him in shock.

"Christ Granger, I swear you're out to make me deaf." He ran a hand through his hair wondering where to start. He had been checking on her every ten minutes or so, hoping to tell her nicely. Well that plan had failed.

"Why is there a house elf in my kitchen?" She asked more quietly but with no less venom.

"Look, I explained this to you already; it's not seemly for you to be doing all these chores." He turned to face her, although her gaze was searing.

"I told you very clearly I didn't want a house elf. You know how I feel about slavery-"

"They like it!" Draco countered, his patience starting to fray. "You only think that because of your muggle up-bringing. They like it, they do."

Hermione bristled. "Oh so my _up-bringing_ isn't good enough for you? Is that it? Being raised by muggles has interfered with my ability to spot slavery when I see it?"

Draco groaned inwardly, "No! It's the way things are Hermione!"

"Back to Hermione are we?" She sneered getting up.

"We are keeping the house elf." He stated.

"No." She stood, hands on hips, glaring. He may have encountered many scary things during the war, some that would make anyone else wet themselves, but he didn't think anything could surpass Hermione's scary-ness at this moment.

"Why not?" He countered, sounding a lot braver than he felt.

"Because it's wrong."

"Well what are you going to do when we move into Malfoy manor? Clean the entire house by yourself?" He smirked, thinking he had won this one. Wrong again.

"That's what maids are for!"

Draco looked at his fiancé, not bothering to hide that fact that he though she was going insane. "And maids are not like house elves?"

Hermione shook her head firmly, obviously seeing more sense in this that Draco did. "No, maids get paid and they get clothed, fed-"

"House elves get fed! And clothed and paid!" Draco retorted.

"No, they don't get paid enough!" Hermione yelled. She was so angry, she wanted to hit something, preferably Draco's head.

"Then pay them more! I never said you couldn't do that!" Draco ran a hand through his hair again.

"I would but they WON'T ACCEPT IT!" She yelled back.

"That's because they like to be in our service! That's what I've been trying to tell you!" He sighed and sat down feeling suddenly tired.

"They don't know any better; they aren't educated." Hermione continued.

"Don't tell me you want to start a school for house elves." Draco groaned, the thought made him cringe.

"No, but I won't have a house elf." She replied stubbornly.

Draco thought of how people who react, seeing him, a Malfoy, letting his wife cook and clean…

It wasn't a pretty thought.

"We're keeping it." He said firmly.

"No."

"Yes, we are."

"No, it's going." Hermione stepped towards the door, but Draco stood in her way.

"It. Stays. Here." He said tightly. Hermione looked up, glaring at him.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No, I refuse!"

"It's staying here!"

"I SAID NO!" Hermione yelled pushing him again, this time Draco pushed her back into the couch.

Before either of them could do anything, a camera flashed and a short, squat reporter was tapping frantically on the balcony door.

Draco and Hermione gaped as the situation played in their heads.

"Oh shit." Draco muttered turning away from the balcony. This only caused the reporter to rap on the glass harder and Hermione began to fear he would break it.

"What are we going to do?" She asked staring at the form outside.

"I don't know, but whatever we do, Potter isn't going to be pleased." He ran his hand through his hair again, messing it up even more.

Lottie chose this time to poke her head through the door. "Sir?"

"What?" Draco snapped irritably, earning another glare from Hermione.

"There are people at the door wishing to see you sir."

Draco looked up sharply. "Who?"

"Lottie does not know them sir." She squeaked. Hermione shook her head at the man outside who refused to go away.

Draco found the insistent tapping incredibly annoying as he tried to think. "Don't let them in. We're not available." He said to Lottie who nodded and ran out of the room.

"WILL YOU PISS OFF!" Hermione screamed at the reporter who was startled, but apparently the camera man wasn't and took another shot of the angry Hermione.

"Damn it Granger! Get away from there!" He grabbed her and pulled her into the bedroom.

"Were we yelling that loud?" She asked, completely calm.

"Yes, I believe you were." He replied dryly.

"You were yelling too!" Hermione retorted.

Draco feared another screaming fit and so he gave in early. "Okay, yes I was yelling too. That doesn't make all the reporters go away."

Hermione sat down abruptly. "We're doomed." She muttered. "This is going to be all over the paper…"

Draco agreed but tried to think of a way to get rid of them. He couldn't think of a way, until Ron apparated into the room.

"What a circus out there!" He said walking towards them. Hermione seemed shocked.

"Ron, what are you doing here?"

Ron smiled. "Actually I was coming around to visit you, only to be stopped by a crowd of media people asking me if I knew the Malfoy's."

"I'm not a Malfoy." Hermione snapped indignantly.

"You will be soon enough dearest." Draco said gloomily.

Ron looked around "Yes well, it appears that they are waiting for you to leave the apartment, which you won't do of course."

"What are we supposed to do?" Draco frowned at him.

Ron shrugged. "I don't know. But just keep it on the low down for now. I guess you could apparate somewhere, but they are bound to spot you."

"I can't believe this. What are they going to say?" Hermione whined. Draco had never heard Hermione whine, she had never been the type. He decided that he found her whining very annoying and he hoped she didn't do it too often.

"They're going to tear you to shreds at that interview." Ron said bluntly.

Draco sighed, the weasel just couldn't help but be a pain is his arse. "Why don't you just go?"

"Well actually Harry wanted me to tell you that he's going to be busy so we can't catch lunch with him tomorrow. Quiddich training."

At the mention of quiddich Draco tensed but said nothing.

Hermione stood up and walked over to her closet. "We're leaving." She announced as she pulled out a red top and jeans.

"What?" Draco stared at her.

"We're leaving, I don't care if they find us, I can't stand being here." Hermione contemplated which coat to take when another thought occurred to her. "I'm going to free Lottie first."

"No you aren't." Draco hissed dangerously, but Hermione wasn't intimidated.

"Oh really?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well guess what? I'm going to."

Ron appeared a little confused. "What's this all about?"

"I got a house elf." Draco said simply.

Ron nodded in comprehension "Oh, its spew all over again. I feel your pain."

"It is not spew! It's S.P.E.W!" She snapped.

"Yes well where do you think you're going to hide?" He asked.

"Malfoy Manor of course." Hermione said pulling out a bag.

Draco had not been informed of this decision. "Malfoy Manor? Why?"

"Well, why not?" Came the reply. Draco found no answer to that. "Good."

Ron smiled "Well I see you guys are getting along fine. See you!" He dispparrated before either of them could say anything.

"Well," Draco sighed, feeling lost in the day's flurry of activities.

"Lets go!" Hermione smiled. He took hold of her and thinking that she was absolutely crazy, dispparrated to his childhood home.

It should have been empty. His parents weren't around anymore and he had no other relatives.

The moment they appeared, Draco knew it had been a mistake. For once, Hermione had got it wrong.

The press was crowding outside the manor as well, it appeared some people anticipated their actions.

Quickly Draco shuffled Hermione into the house, ignoring the desperate questions of the media.

When they were inside he gave her a glare. "Was this part of your plan my _sweetheart_?"

Hermione looked frustrated and shocked at the same time. "No, this was not."

Draco stopped, not wanting to anger her. A few moments later he thought he should have taken opportunity.

A house elf came scuttling to them to take their coats.

"HOUSE ELVES?" Hermione screamed. Draco covered her mouth swiftly with his hand and led her upstairs.

"Do you want to make the situation worse?" He said harshly.

"You have house elves here!" Was all she said.

Draco rolled his eyes, "Obviously! I told you that already."

Hermione frowned turning to the window. "It's useless. Lets just go out and talk to them."

"Are you crazy? No, just stay here, they'll go away." Draco shrugged off his coat and threw it over a couch.

Hermione didn't think they would go away, but her confidence had taken quite a blow since arriving at a press filled Malfoy Manor.

"Fine."

………………………………………………………………………………………..

Draco didn't show Hermione around the Manor, in fact, he spent the rest of the day on the other side of the house. He had simply had enough of her temper and the screaming and yelling and whining.

Hermione wandered around feeling melancholy but glad that Draco had finally disappeared. She had become his friend but always being together had frayed her patience more than she liked to think.

This gave them both time to contemplate matters at hand. There was no doubt Harry would be upset his plan wasn't working and there was the thought of their careers; Hermione's as an auror and Draco's as a quiddich player.

Their lives were riddled with rumour and intrigue; something neither of them wanted.

'My life is over.' Draco thought sadly, he was reading a quiddich book but couldn't concentrate. 'And it's not even her fault.'

…………………………………………………………………………..

In to morning, Draco went to find his fiancé. She was lying in one of the guest rooms tucked away near the back of the house.

He watched her sleeping, taking the time to appreciate her. Not just her looks, but everything about her. They had both been thrown unwillingly into this predicament but she had made the best of the situation, while he had continued his arrogant ways.

Sometimes he thought it was a Griffindor thing, but other times he knew it was just a part of her persona. It was something he found irritating and yet charming at the same time. He confused her a lot.

"Draco?" She mumbled, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Yeah, it's me." He replied looking away, uncomfortable.

She sat up and looked around. "You have a big house."

Draco chuckled, "It is rather large isn't it?" She smiled and flopped back down again. He sat down near the foot of her bed, waving his wand to open the curtains. "The press have gone." He observed, fighting the impulse to say 'I told you so.'

"They are?" She asked sitting up. "Oh. You were right then."

Silence. Draco turned to her and began to apologise, just as she was doing the same. Both paused awkwardly.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you yesterday." She said quietly.

"Me too." They sat again, not speaking.

A small elf popped into the room causing Hermione to stiffen but she said nothing.

"Sir?" It squeaked.

"Yes?" He tried being polite to ease Hermione's tension.

"Would you and the mistress like breakfast sir?" The elf bowed low.

"Yes we would thank you." Hermione said quickly, looking away. The elf popped and was gone.

"I guess we could hire maids." Draco mumbled.

Hermione sat up, all of a sudden very attentive. "What did you say?"

"I said we could hire maids… if you want." Draco looked down, not understanding why he wanted to make her happy.

Hermione hugged him, grinning widely. "Oh thank you! That's wonderful!" She beamed.

Draco smiled weakly in response but she didn't seem to notice. She flounced out of bed and threw on her clothes from yesterday.

Draco kept his back to her the whole time even though he knew, he could have looked if he had wanted to. 'I do want to.' The thought sauntered lazily around in his brain 'I'm losing my mind.'

"Sir! Sir! Mistress!" The same elf who came to collect their coats yesterday came running into the room holding a wizard radio.

"What is it?" Draco demanded, but this elf had been with the family since Draco was born and wasn't afraid of his master's cold tone.

"They are talking about the master and mistress! Lots of talking about you sir!" The elf bounced eagerly at Draco's feet.

Draco took the radio "Thank you." The elf scurried out of the room again, looking very pleased that he had done something right.

Hermione stood beside Draco as he turned up the volume.

"_And it was allegedly reported that Mr Malfoy was grabbing his fiancé and forcing her to sit down." _A woman said, sounding outraged.

"_No! So many people are saying that Mr Malfoy has changed." _An older woman said thoughtfully.

"_So they say, but how do we know what he is like behind closed doors? How do we know that Miss Granger is willingly taking part in this marriage?"_

"_What if Mr Malfoy is the victim here?"_ This time a man spoke, his voice was deep and rough.

"_What ever do you mean? How can he be the victim?"_

"_There are many reports of people seeing Miss Granger pushing Mr Malfoy into their dining table. I have heard that it's a very expensive range of furniture and made of glass. Some say it broke with the force. She must have pushed him rather hard."_

"_Miss Granger? No, Mr Malfoy is definitely the culprit here, is he on our side?"_

"_Of course he is! Harry Potter himself declared him a loyal friend."_

"_Even Mr Potter can be fooled by the greatest of con-artists."_

Draco turned the radio off with a snap of his hand. He looked livid.

"I uh… think they saw us fighting yesterday." Hermione said lamely.

"No? You think?" Draco snapped, feeling very irritated with the press and what they were making out an argument about an elf. It was then that another thought occurred to him.

"You didn't free Lottie yesterday."

Hermione frowned. "No, I didn't. We should go back so I can." She smiled.

"You can, I don't feel like moving from this room." He replied gloomiliy.

Hermione patted his shoulder "You will be okay. They will get over it soon enough."

Draco was unconvinced but said nothing as Hermione went back to her apartment. While he sat, feeling dejected the elf brought in breakfast.

He sat and ate a little but left the rest, not feeling very hungry.

Just as he was about to leave the room, he saw Hedwig flutter past the window, then double back and tap her beak on the glass. He stepped over and let her in.

She swooped past, dropping the parchment in his arms and perched on the arm of the chair preening her feathers.

_Draco, _the letter read

_I heard everything. It's everywhere, the paper, the radio even the muggle entertainment news. It's incredible the way you can screw things up._

_This interview is going to be very nasty, I hope you and Hermione can handle it. Ron told me he stopped by and things were at Hermione's apartment. I hope you guys have been left alone by now – for Hermione's sake._

_Also, I wanted you to know that I spoke to the scout and told him of your current awkward position, but as per usual, he had already read a few articles about you. I told him that perhaps you would be busy over this coming season but I was sure you would make an effort to be an active member of the team._

_He says that he likes the way I fly. You know Malfoy, I think you are a little in over your head at the moment._

_Harry_

Draco gaped at the letter, he had never imagined Harry could be so vindictive. He had completely destroyed Draco's chances at becoming seeker for the team, insulted his flying ability and blamed the whole fight with Hermione on him. It was outrageous.

"What has gotten into him?" He turned to the only living thing in the room, Hedwig.

The owl hooted but offered no explanation. "What an idiot." He muttered.

He took and piece of parchment and began to write.

_Potter,_

_You're letter was completely unnecessary. I can tell you are afraid of my abilities being better than yours. You have a funny way of showing inter-house unity._

_The argument between me and Hermione is not my fault. It's not even her fault._

_If you're going to continue this arrogant, prick-like behaviour, Hermione and I are better off without your intervention._

_Draco Malfoy_

He tied the letter to Hedwig's leg and as he let her go whispered "Bite him for me." She hooted and took off into the distance.

Hermione chose then to appear and smiled when she saw breakfast.

"You let her go then?" He asked.

"Yes, I did. The press are all gone from there too." She took and piece of toast. "What's that?" She asked, spotting the letter.

"From Potter." Draco replied bitterly. Hermione raised her eyebrows, she picked it up and read it. As she read she frowned and as she continued, the frown deepened.

"How dare he?" She was stunned.

"Well I've replied and I don't think he'll be very pleased." Draco couldn't help but smirk.

Hermione shook her head. "All over some quiddich team."

Draco knew she would never understand.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

In the afternoon Draco and Hermione went for a walk around the grounds. Draco showed her all the things that needed to be taken care of and she made a list.

"What is that for?" He asked, looking down at her parchment.

"So I know how many maids to hire. And stable hands. And butlers." She smiled.

Draco was horrified. "Maids? Butlers? Stable hands? How rich do you think I am?"

Hermione put on an innocent face "I _know _you are very wealthy."

Draco shook his head, savouring the moment; his last moment as a carefree Malfoy.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Sooo? How did you like this part? Harry is starting to get a little nasty isn't he? Do u like it or do you prefer he remains a saint?

This chapter is much longer than the others, I hope it wasn't boring!

Ok, now you can review . Thanks!


	8. Interview's Unexpected Rewards

Okay well reading over that last little bit in chapter seven I guess I turned the tables a little too much with Harry and Draco. Lol got a little carried away in the moment.

Thanks for your reviews! I appreciate them soo much.

So for those who are a little bit lost, I'm picking up this fic on a Monday (dun dun dun) lol I hope you enjoy this little bit.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

The morning dawned bright and vibrant, contrasting greatly to the mood inside Malfoy Manor. Both occupants were looking sullen and wished that they were anywhere but here.

Hermione sat staring out the window at the immaculate grounds. Malfoy Manor occupied a vast area of land and it was very beautiful, she had to admit. Now if only the family that lived here were just like their grounds.

"We need to go." Draco said as he walked into the room. He saw Hermione sitting at the window seat and he knew she wished she was somewhere else.

He had pulled so many bad tricks out of his sleeve since they had gotten 'engaged' that he was beginning to think that they would never move beyond friendship.

She got up slowly and straightened her skirt before moving to the fire place with him. She had never really enjoyed travelling by Floo Powder but seeing as they didn't know exactly where the radio studio was, they had no choice.

Draco wrapped an arm around her waist as they stepped into the fire place. She didn't object but she didn't seem to like it either, which troubled Draco. He was beginning to like the idea of being with her.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Welcome!" A bouncy receptionist greeted them as they stepped out of the elegant fire place. Hermione looked around the room; the walls were littered with posters of stars; all preening themselves and looking eagerly at the new comers.

"Hello." She said warily.

The receptionist didn't seem to notice her lack of enthusiasm and indicated that they should follow her.

Draco noticed her glancing back at them every two seconds and was pondering the possibility of her head falling off her shoulders when he realised she was watching them. Their movements, their actions. He casually draped an arm over Hermione's shoulder and smiled at the lady when she turned back again.

"What are you doing?" Hermione whispered, glaring at him.

"Playing the part." He whispered back, smiling.

Hermione sighed and relaxed into him, she had no idea why she felt so hostile today but everything Draco did was getting on her nerves.

Maybe it had something to do with Harry's letter. She couldn't believe that Harry would do something like that. He had never struck her as being to competitive and conniving. The thought occurred to her to speak to him, but she knew it was a bad idea.

The last thing she wanted to do in front of him or Ron was defend Draco.

"Please take a seat and the presenter will be with you soon." The receptionist pointed to some chairs before casting them one last glance and leaving.

"Like a bloody hawk." Draco mumbled.

"What?"

"I said she was watching us like a bloody hawk."

Hermione nodded, she was not looking forward to this radio interview. She knew there would be more questions about their relationship now but that didn't exactly ease her nerves. Especially after the argument they had been caught having.

"Ah Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger." A middle aged man appeared offering his hand which they both shook smiling politely. "My name is Phil."

"A pleasure to meet you." Draco replied smoothly, easily slipping into his business-Malfoy mode.

Hermione nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"We're about to go live, I'm going to ask you a few questions, is that alright with you?"

'Most definitely not.' Hermione thought. "Yes."

"Alright then, please take a seat and we'll get started. Thank you by the way; we are honoured to be the first to have a live interview with you." Phil smiled, revealing an uneven row of slightly yellow teeth.

"Oh the pleasure is ours." Draco smiled back, equally greasy.

After a moment Phil began speaking into a microphone placed on the table.

"Good afternoon! I'm Phil here with your weekly entertainment news. Today we have two very special guests in the studio giving their first live interview as a couple. I'd like to welcome Mr Malfoy and Mrs Granger."

Here he indicated they should say something. Hermione looked at Draco; lost. He patted her leg and spoke cheerily "Good afternoon Phil."

Irritated with the way Draco was babying her, Hermione pushed his hand away and leaned forward. "Hello Phil. It's nice to meet you."

And with that, the interview began.

"The pleasure is mine Miss Granger. Now there is so much buzz about your engagement, I'd first like to ask, how is it two such people came together?"

"It was by chance." Draco began. "We were brought together by the war and naturally became friends."

Phil sensed fresh meat. "Ah yes the war, terrible times and I'm sure everyone is thrilled that something so nice could come from it. But tell me Mr Malfoy; is it not true that you were fighting for the dark side?"

Draco tensed as Hermione cringed inwardly. 'This is it.' She wailed in her head.

"I will admit that my loyalties were once placed elsewhere." His voice spoke with much more confidence than he felt, and for once he was glad for his father's training.

"And were you involved in the conspiracy to kill Harry Potter?"

"There were many involved." Came the short reply.

"But were you?"

"I don't see how this relates to my engagement." Draco was frustrated and tried hard not to show it. But Phil could see his eyes, he got the idea.

"Of course after the war, it would only be proper for you two to get married, how did Harry Potter take this?"

"He was happy for us." Hermione said. "He promotes unity whenever he can; he tries his best to help the world recover."

Draco tensed when she said this but nothing showed on his face. "Yes, he is quite an achiever isn't he?"

Hermione gave him a funny look before turning back to Phil.

"Miss Granger, as an auror you're work load has lessened considerably since the war ended, how long do you think it will be until you are not needed?"

Hermione bristled "There will always be a need for people to control those not so considerate citizens. I feel that even though there is less work, my services will always be active."

Phil raised an eyebrow but left the topic and turned to Draco. "I understand that you are a very well renowned quiddich player Mr Malfoy, how do you think this engagement will affect your career?"

"Hermione means a lot to me and I am happy with our relationship, however, I don't believe it will stop me from playing quiddich and will not hinder me." Hermione smiled slightly at that, catching Phil's attention.

"How do you feel about that Miss Granger?"

Hermione remembered Harry's letter and how Draco had been treating her these last few days. She felt as though she owed him something and now was the time to repay her debt.

"I feel that Draco is a top league player and I encourage him to play. He shouldn't just drop everything for me, I like to go and watch him play as much as he likes to play." She smiled and took his hand, silently apologising for her earlier rudeness.

Draco was pleasantly surprised by Hermione's statement and intertwined his fingers in hers.

"I see. You've beaten your own record for the fastest time to catch the snitch twice and you have held the record for four months. How do you feel about that?" Phil continued.

"I feel like I'm at the top of my game and the moment. It's a great feeling to have so many good things happening after a long period of fighting."

Phil seemed to notice the change in atmosphere between the couple and thought this was the perfect time to seek more juicy information. "Many reporters claim they witnessed a very heated argument at your apartment yesterday."

Both tensed, giving Phil matching cool looks.

"Did they now?" Draco began, his voice would have frozen running water during summer.

Phil however, was undeterred. "Did you, Mr Malfoy, push Miss Granger?"

Draco felt like a young child who had been caught fighting. "I…" He trailed off, his front crumbling, 'What am I supposed to say?'

"No, he didn't." Hermione pronounced clearly.

"There were witnesses who said they saw both of you having an argument early in the morning and many residents in on the same floor said they heard your yelling." Phil continued.

Draco was annoyed now, and pulled out the ammunition he hadn't used in a very long time. "Are you implying _my_ fiancé is _lying_?" He raised an eyebrow, staring at Phil coolly.

The dangerous glint in his eyes and sharp edge to the quiet words certainly intimidated Phil this time. He had once interviewed Lucius Malfoy, before the war and had been given the same treatment. It made him instantly wary.

"No, of course not." He replied glancing at Miss Granger who appeared to be wearing an identically icy expression. He decided that perhaps they were a well suited couple after all.

"Uh…When do you think the wedding will be held?" He continued lamely.

Draco smiled without humour "I'm not to sure about that Phil. It has not yet been decided."

Silence. Hermione marvelled at Draco's power over people. If he wanted to, he could probably turn her into a blubbering blob of human flesh just as he had done to Phil. But he had never done that, why? She had no idea, it must have been tempting though.

"And you're ring Miss Granger? Tell me about it."

"Well it's a simple one carat princess cut diamond, Phil, set in 24carat gold." She showed him with a flourish.

The man's eyes seemed to bulge out of his sockets for a second, making Draco smile.

"It's an amazing sight." He breathed, thinking of the possibilities he could make come true if he had the money to buy that ring.

"Yes it is isn't it?" Hermione laughed falsely, inside she was disgusted with Phil's stunned expression. Why was it always about the money?

"According to the latest news Mr Malfoy, you as a person are worth 500 000 000galleons. Is that correct?"

Draco thought about the maids and servants of the like Hermione planned to hire, the way she had spent 1000 galleons in two hours and began to ponder the amount himself. But then he reasoned that she hadn't hired the servants, yet.

"Yes, that is correct." He said.

Hermione smirked, 'I guess it won't be so bad.' She thought.

Draco didn't like the look crossing Hermione's face and put the thought away to talk to her about later.

"How much of your personal wealth are you planning to spend on this wedding?" Phil asked.

Draco thought about it, wondering what to say and how much a wedding should cost. He was still thinking when Hermione leaned forward and whispered quietly. "All of it." She giggled as though a part of some conspiracy.

Meanwhile, Draco was having a heart attack. 'All of it? Is she crazy?' He smiled weakly at Phil who seemed to go pale at the thought.

"Oh I see." Was all he said.

Hermione continued to giggle. "Well now you're a bit gullible aren't you? Of course we won't spend all of it!"

Draco tried very hard not to breathe a sigh of relief and tucked this little moment away to talk to her about as well.

"Oh of course! Miss Granger, I believe you had us all in a shock back there, including Mr Malfoy."

"Yes, quite a shock." Draco said, a horrifying thought occurring to him 'So how much _will_ she spend?'

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Well, that was interesting. I enjoyed writing that. I know when I first set out writing this bit, it was going to be a little like the press conference (cringe) but then I thought that things should go there way for a while and Hermione should get to have a little fun.

Please don't forget to review and if you have any wishes of what you want me to put in this fic or what you want to happen, let me know! I will think about them to be sure and you never know, you're idea might be in here soon!

So get reviewing and thanks soo much for reading!


	9. Confrontations

Heya, hope you're enjoying the read so far.

And you are right! Hermione is getting much too OOC, hopefully I can fix things.

Enjoy!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Hermione and Draco felt like a great weight had been lifted off their shoulders after the interview and the mood between them had improved greatly.

They returned to Hermione's apartment where Hermione found an owl from Harry.

_Hermione and Draco,_

_I hope your interview went smoothly today, if you're free we should have lunch some time. Maybe tomorrow?_

_Owl me._

_Harry._

"We most certainly _won't_ be having lunch with scar head." Draco spat after he read the letter.

Hermione didn't understand why Harry was being so nice after his letter to Draco earlier. "Of course we will go, he's my friend." She answered, picking up her quill.

"No, and I'm not arguing with you about this either." Draco plucked the quill from her grasp and dragged her to the lounge. "You should read something."

"Draco, I will not just throw off my best friend because of the grudge you hold against him." Hermione reached for the quill in his hands but he pulled away.

"The grudge _I _have against him? He's the one who came and forced me out of the game just so he could get into the international team!" He sighed inwardly, wishing that he didn't have to argue with Hermione all the time.

"I know, but you can't just expect me to throw our friendship out the window!" Hermione felt helpless, torn between her best friend and fiancé.

"I don't want to fight anymore, Hermione." Draco breathed, sitting down suddenly. He looked very tired and Hermione reflected on their time together.

She felt so selfish and realised she had been acting like a right little cow since he had moved in with her. She had gone mental with the house elf; it was wrong.

Coming to terms with these feelings was a difficult task and she felt overwhelmed by her own actions. Slowly she slipped out of the room and lay on her bed. This engagement had changed her and she didn't like the new Hermione.

Draco looked up, she was gone. 'Great' he thought bitterly 'you've screwed up again Malfoy, oh well done.' He stretched on the couch and tried to contemplate what he had done wrong, again. Is it really just who he is? 'Can't do a damn thing about it if it is.' He thought stubbornly.

………………………………………………………………………………..

"Hermione?" Draco tapped lightly on her door.

"Yeah?" Hermione got up and went to the door, knowing she needed to apologise.

"Can I come in?" He asked.

Hermione thought for a moment, then decided that they were engaged after all and she couldn't possibly force him to sleep on the couch for much longer. "Yes, come in." She stepped away and sat on her bed, plucking up the courage that Griffindors are supposed to have.

Draco closed the door behind him, he saw her sitting there, an intense expression on her face and suddenly felt awkward. He didn't like feeling awkward and his brain told him that he was feeling a lot of new emotions that he had never felt before since he had gotten together with Hermione.

"I uh…" He began, forgetting what he was going to say.

Hermione looked up, smiling forcefully "I'm sorry." She blurted.

Draco stared at her in shock. "You're what?" He was stunned. Hermione was apologising to him? Why? Perhaps he hadn't done something wrong after all!

"I'm sorry. I've been such a living hell to be with over the last week; I'm sorry for that." She looked down at her hands, feeling a blush creep up from her neck.

Draco continued to stare in shock. "Oh." He said, as relief began to seep through his skin. So he hadn't done anything wrong; something had gone right at least.

"You're right by the way, we shouldn't be fighting so much." She continued.

It seemed like a terribly sentimental moment and Draco shifted from one leg to the other, showing his discomfort. "I guess you want to go to lunch with Potter then?" was all he could say.

Hermione looked up, she stared at him for a long time, her expression calculating. "No. We won't. And we can have _some_ house elves at the Manor." She smiled.

Draco smiled back, feeling as though he hadn't really smiled in a long time. It shocked him how much pleasing her meant to him, but he did have to spend an awfully long time with her, so he thought pleasing her was best. "I'm glad that's over."

Hermione laughed, she stood up and hugged him tightly, reminding him of the press conference. 'Maybe Potter's plan wasn't so bad; parts of it.' Came the after thought.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

At eleven, a livid Harry apparated into the apartment.

Hermione and Draco were looking over his finances when Harry arrived, taking them both by surprise.

"You didn't owl me." He said, looking at Hermione. She smiled brightly, ignoring his frustration with her.

"Oh Harry, so nice to see you! Come, have a seat." She indicated to the chair next to her.

"No, I will not 'have a seat' Hermione, we need to talk." His words were tight and she came to the conclusion that Harry had been affected more than she thought by the war.

"Harry, we can talk here. Sit down, I'll make you a coffee." She got up and gave him a concerned look before going to the kitchen to get drinks for everyone.

Harry sat down stiffly, glaring at Draco. "You had to go and ruin everything." He snapped.

Draco frowned. "What is it this time Potter?"

"You had to go a completely ruin everything!" He shot back. Harry continued to fume silently.

Hermione brought in their coffees and sat down, noting the tension in the air. "What did you want to talk about?" She asked.

"Malfoy, since when are you worth 500 000 000 Galleons?" Harry looked icily at Draco who raised his eyebrows.

"Since my father died, Potter. Your point?"

Harry looked away for a moment "You just decided to flaunt that along with your quiddich hopes?" He said bitterly.

Draco tensed "Listen Potter, if you think I did this all because of quiddich you are sorely mistaken!"

"Oh don't act stupid Malfoy!" Harry's voice rose causing Hermione to look around fearfully for reporters. "I know you just said that because you know the team is going to come running to you for their money!"

Draco stood up sharply his eyes blazing "Listen to yourself Potter! Look at the conniving, vindictive blabbering idiot you've become!"

Harry looked ready to burst "WHO IS THE TRAITOR HERE?" He bellowed, standing up so abruptly his chair fell over. Hermione rushed around him, pulling it out of the way in case it should cause an injury.

She knew that both men were beyond her reasoning now, they weren't going to listen to a word she said.

"You dare call me a traitor? I have proven myself to you and every other doubtful wizard that I AM NOT IN LEAGUE WITH VOLDEMORT!" Draco's face was pasty white while his clenched fists trembled at his sides.

Harry breathed deeply, trying to calm himself. He looked away and his lips moved slightly; Hermione guessed he was counting.

She took the opportunity to speak. "There is no reason to fight."

Harry turned to her, his anger barely hidden. "Are you saying this is my fault?"

"No." She answered looking deep into his eyes. He was her best friend, he shouldn't be acting like this.

Harry looked at her and a flicker of gratitude passed over his features. He then turned to Draco who stood, simply radiating anger. "Go and celebrate Malfoy, you won this time."

Draco sat, stiffly, and glared. "This was not a competition." He replied shortly.

Harry seemed confused for a moment. "They haven't owled you?" His voice was nothing like it was only a few moments ago.

'And they say women have mood swings.' Hermione thought wryly.

"Who?" Draco asked, equally calm.

Harry ran a hand through his naturally messy hair and breathed out loudly. "You're in the team." He mumbled.

"What?"

"I said, you're in the team." Harry seemed to be trying very hard to avoid looking directly at Draco and was clearly embarrassed.

Draco stood again, also running a hand through his hair. "Oh. I am? How do you know?"

"They owled me, saying they were sorry they couldn't put me as permanent seeker. Privileges of being me I guess." He added dryly.

Draco was frowning but appeared pleased. "So you're on the team too?"

"Yes, back up if you're not there; which I doubt will ever happen." Harry looked back at Hermione and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry Hermione." He said quietly.

Hermione tilted her head, trying to see what had made Harry like this; so angry all the time. "Are you alright Harry?" She asked walking closer to him.

"Yes, I'm fine." He replied pulling her into a light hug. She returned it, smiling.

"You were joining us for coffee Potter?" Draco smirked. The air between them lightened considerably.

Harry shook his head. "No, I have to go. I'll catch up with you both later." And he disparated with a small 'pop!'

Hermione stood, stunned by the events that had just occurred in her dining room.

"Well I guess I'm on good terms with Potter again." Draco smirked.

"Really?" Hermione raised an eyebrow at him causing him to chuckle.

Draco went over and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her forehead. "We were a bit loud weren't we? I hope you have recovered you're ear drums."

Hermione laughed, knowing it was an apology she was receiving, from Malfoy. 'Wonders will never cease.' She thought happily.

"I think they will be alright."

Hermione broke away and glanced at the scattered parchments over the table. "So will you donate to your team?" She looked back up to him, waiting for an answer.

"Don't worry, there will be plenty left for you." Draco smirked looking over the figures.

Hermione leaned her forehead against his chest, breathing in his musky smell. She liked the smell and his arms around her, they made her feel safe; a feeling she had wanted for a long time. "It really doesn't matter about the money, you know that don't you?"

Draco hugged her tighter. "I know." He whispered resting his cheek on her ginger locks.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Well I hope that makes things better. Sorry Harry fans…

And I've come to realise that I like Draco much more than Hermione and so he seems to be in a nicer light all the time doesn't he? It is a bit OOC…you don't mind do you?

Please review! Thank you for reading!


	10. Love's Bitter Aftertaste

Well heellllooo! Ha ha, here is chapter ten and I just put up a Draco-Fleur fic. It isn't my best, but I would really appreciate it if you read that as well! Thanks so much guys!

And your reviews? They have really boosted my confidence and thank you to everyone for sending one it! (or two or three)

Here is the next chapter, it's going to be a bit shorter (I think) but I'm glad the interview is over so now I can begin to develop Hermione and Draco's relationship further.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The day after the interview, Hermione was invited to Ginny's house for a girls-night. She was very excited and planned to have a great time. It had been such a long time since she had gotten together with Ginny and her other friends from school.

School. Hogwarts. It all seemed so long ago, the fun and the adventures. She had been Harry's friend from the beginning and experienced many pains throughout her early years at Hogwarts. But nothing had prepared her for the war; for the death and destruction that seemed to rule the world.

So many lives had been taken and so much blood had been shed; by both sides. It was something she would never forget, even if she tried.

"Are you alright?" Draco walked into her room, noticing immediately her melancholy expression.

"Yes I'm fine." She smiled, pushing the dark thoughts away. Contrary to her first impressions, she found Draco's company welcoming and his attention warmed her insides.

He stood, glancing over the owl Ginny had sent her. "Are you going?"

Hermione stood up, stretching "Yes, it should be good."

"When is it?" He asked, pulling her in for a hug. She leaned into his chest, sighing in appreciation.

"Tomorrow night." She whispered.

"I see." She could hear the smile in his words, a sensation that still felt strange to her. 'Malfoy is smiling?' she thought 'No, it's Draco.' Another voice told her firmly.

"Draco." She whispered without realising.

"Hmm?" He looked down at her.

"What?" She shook herself out of her day dreams. "I didn't say anything."

Draco just laughed and let go of her, she was nice to hold. She made him feel useful; that he could protect her or just be there to comfort her. He had taken a liking to this feeling and wanted to feel that way more often than he had of late.

"You know," Hermione began, staring out the window. "We should go out today."

"What's the occasion?" Draco followed her gaze, seeing nothing of great interest; he turned and sat at the foot of her bed.

"You." She smiled brightly at him.

"Me?"

"Yes, you got into the quiddich team." The thought had just occurred to her and she scolded herself for forgetting something so important.

"Oh, right." Draco shrugged, "If you want to."

"Draco! I thought you said this meant a lot to you!" She sat next to him, a frown beginning to form on her face.

"Oh it does." Draco smiled.

"But-"

"Malfoy's don't leap for joy." He replied smoothly.

Hermione gaped. 'Malfoy's don't leap for joy'? The thought tumbled in her mind.

"So Malfoy's are stuck up emotionless ghosts; is that right?" She smirked.

Draco began to think that his smirking was rubbing off on her and he tried to decide if that was a good thing or not. "I wouldn't say 'stuck up' and 'ghosts' is a bit harsh, don't you think?"

Hermione laughed, "But your hair! And you're always so white!"

"I am not!" Draco stood up indignantly and peeped into her mirror. He was a _bit_ pale.

"Oh come now, you know I'm just joking; you're simply dashing." This caused her to laugh harder and Draco blushed a little, hoping she didn't notice.

"Well are we going or what?" He lifted an eyebrow.

"Yes, alright." Hermione stood, a smile still plastered to her face. "Let's go then." She grabbed her coat and they headed outside.

…………………………………………………………………………..

Later, they found themselves strolling down a path at a near-by park. There weren't many people out and the roads were surprisingly quiet.

"So what happens now that you're on the team?" Hermione asked, linking her arm with his.

"They haven't owled me; which is strange. But I guess I will need to be away more; at practices." He shrugged.

Hermione thought about her own work, she had been absent because of this engagement, but when Draco went to play she had to find something to do. She was sure she would need to enforce many magical laws, but that was boring.

Phil was right, there just isn't as much need for aurors anymore, now that the war was over.

"I need to find a job." She mumbled.

"Why?" Draco brushed his hand along a bush, plucking a flower. He held it and stared, the movement had been so sub-conscious. What was he supposed to do now? He continued to stare at the flower in his hand until Hermione poked his shoulder, jerking his attention back to her.

"You haven't heard a word I've said have you?" She frowned up at him "What is that in your hand?" She leaned over.

Draco panicked 'what do I do now?' He thrust his hand behind his back "Nothing."

"What? What is it?" She continued to pester while Draco thought about how you were supposed to give a flower to a girl.

'But you're supposed to _buy_ them, not pick them off a bush in the park.' A voice told him.

Hermione took advantage of his distracted state and swiftly reached behind him for his hand. She paused when she saw the flower in his hand.

He could feel the heat on his cheeks, and it intensified when she turned to look up at him, puzzlement in her eyes.

"I uh… It… well….this is for you." He blurted, handing the flower to her.

He had never felt like more of an idiot in his life.

She took the flower gently, she gazed at it for a moment, then smiled.

"Thank you Draco, that's very sweet." She hugged him and leaned in to peck him on the cheek. The already burning cheek flamed up.

"You're welcome." Draco shifted awkwardly.

Hermione felt like laughing, his discomfort was so comical, but she knew better and hid her laughter. She knew this was something big, and it was a very pretty flower with dew still on the petals.

They continued walking in silence. The air between them slowly returned to normal and Draco relaxed.

When they left the gates of the park had saw a florists shop where there were large bouquets of flowers for sale. He looked at them, wondering if he should buy one for Hermione.

She followed his gaze and saw the bouquets of roses outside the shop "It's okay Draco, I like this one." She still held the flower he picked.

He smiled at her, feeling all warm inside despite the slight chill in the air. They took each other's hands and headed for a near-by café, feeling happy that something was going not just right, but perfectly.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Draco and Hermione had been wandering the shops of London for most of the morning, not buying anything but simply enjoying the chance to be with each other. It was a new emotion that both of them found they liked very much.

Just as they exited another store, a drop of rain fell on Hermione's head. She looked up at the grey clouds over-head. "It's going to rain."

Draco glanced up, his calm expression seemed forever fixed on his face. Only moments like those in the park made her remember he was capable of feeling awkward.

"We should get back then." He murmured, taking her arm and hailing a cab.

While sitting in the cab they said nothing, the taxi was watching them just like the receptionist at the radio studio. Hermione thought that she should remind him to look at the road, but when she leaned forward a bit Draco placed a hand on her arm and shook his head ever so slightly.

She sat back, looking out the window until they reached their block. Draco handed the man his money and got out after Hermione.

"What do we do now?" She asked ascending the stairs.

Draco smiled slightly "I don't know."

Hermione sighed as they reached a lift and made their silent way up the building. Once they were inside, she automatically waved her wand, causing cups and coffee to brew.

"Who said we were staying?" Draco smirked.

Hermione looked up, confused by his sudden change in demeanour. "I thought…" She trailed off, frowning.

Draco chuckled "Get changed, we're going somewhere fancy for lunch." Was all he said before striding into the bathroom.

Hermione waved her wand again, the cups returned to their places and she went to her room to find something suitable to wear.

When Draco emerged from the bathroom, steaming, she slipped past him without a word and shut the door.

Draco smirked, she was a tricky one. He knew just the place to go, a fancy Italian restaurant near the manor. He and his family had gone there once or twice, and although he never enjoyed his previous experiences there, he knew Hermione would like it.

Outside, it began to rain.

He put on a black shirt and slacks, plucking a grey coat from the hook and went to the lounge. There he sat, looking at the coat which was his only thing he gained from Hermione's shopping spree a week ago.

She had insisted that he get it, it was 'Armani' she had said, some muggle brand that was supposed to be very good. He had to admit, it was rather nice and felt good.

"Where are we going?" Hermione called out from her room.

He got up and went to her. "Somewhere special."

"Why so ambiguous?" Hermione smiled, she was combing her hair that frizzed up at the back.

Draco watched with humour as she tried desperately to tame it, finally she sighed and grabbed her wand, muttering a quick spell which instantly turned her ginger curls into soft waves cascading down her back.

"It's a surprise." Draco continued.

Hermione turned, took her own long beige coat and waited for him to show her the way. He took her arm and gave her a reassuring smile before apparating to their destination.

They arrived just outside the doors, two uniformed men gestured with wide smiles for them to enter.

"Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger." They murmured. Draco nodded in reply and led Hermione inside.

"Oh it's beautiful." She whispered when they entered the enchanted restaurant. It was an beautiful garden that rivalled those in Malfoy Manor and the tables were draped in crème silk table cloths. Cutlery was laid out against immaculate porcelain plates.

"It is rather nice isn't it?" Draco felt like a new man; he was happy because _Hermione _was happy.

She looked very sweet in her knee-length, forest green dress. Taking her arm, they were led to a table by the window.

"Can you take away the enchantments please?" Hermione asked. The waitress looked at her with a puzzled expression, but noticing Mr Malfoy's presence she nodded politely and went to get one of the managers.

The enchantment was lifted in their corner and Hermione smiled at the view. It was grey and raining. The clouds foamed above as she looked out.

"Don't you like this place?" Draco asked.

"No, I just like the feeling of being all safe and warm while it rains outside." Hermione replied slightly embarrassed.

Draco chuckled and looked to his menu. This was going to be wonderful.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

With the meal effectively out of the way, Draco poured Hermione a glass of wine and sat back, satisfied with how things were going so far.

"So tell me, why do you like quiddich so much?" Hermione asked taking a small sip.

Draco thought about his answer carefully "I guess it's because I like to feel free. It's an amazing feeling to be soaring through the air, if only you could experience it." He added, smirking.

Hermione blushed slightly at the memory and decided she didn't like where this was going. "Do you ever think about going back to Hogwarts?"

"I ah…" Draco frowned, "I have, but I don't think it will ever be possible."

Hermione raised an eyebrow in question "Why not?"

"Hermione, have you forgotten?" He asked, astounded. He personally didn't want to cross this memory.

"No." She admitted, how could she possibly forget? "But it's all over now."

"I can never set foot in those halls again." He explained sadly. Those memories locked in the walls of Hogwarts may have not been the best, but they were his childhood. He had been happiest there.

"I guess you're right." She smiled sympathetically.

Instantly Draco recoiled "I don't need your pity." He snapped.

Hermione's eyes widened in shock, but she didn't retort.

The silence was deafening. The atmosphere had been effectively ruined, both of them felt the tension and discomfort.

Draco knew he shouldn't have snapped at her, she was being kind. But he could not bring himself to apologise. How many times had he been given the same look? People like his father, always wanting to win his trust and then turning him into a fool. Too many bad times were associated with that expression.

"We should go now." He said, standing up abruptly. Hermione couldn't agree more.

She hadn't meant to make him feel bad, she knew he wanted to return to Hogwarts and he couldn't; was it so bad that she felt his sorrow?

Draco paid the bill before they both apparated back to Hermione's apartment. Or so she thought. When she looked around, she found that Draco had not come back with her. She guessed he had returned to the Manor.

This time, she was glad he was gone, she didn't need to face him now.

'Malfoy's don't leap for joy.' She remembered him saying 'Do they cry in woe?'

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Oh how do you like this? Like I said before, I think I'm favouring Draco so I decided to take a better look into his OOC-ness in my fic. (Doesn't make much sense does it?)

Please let me know how you think things are going so far, and if you have anything you want me to include or suggestions, don't hesitate to put them forward!

Thanks a million for reading!


	11. Plans Are Made

And here is the next chapter, thank you soo much for your reviews.

**A/N: **School is about to start, on Monday (nooo!) so I won't be able to update at the speed I have been over the last week. I'm really sorry, but I have a lot going on this term. I will try to get as much on as possible. Thank you!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Hermione lay in bed, thinking about Draco. 'My haven't times changed?' She thought dryly.

She hadn't seen him since they had left the restaurant. All afternoon she had been tidying the apartment and she owled Ginny back telling her she would be coming the following evening.

She paced the lounge, worrying about how Draco was doing. He seemed angry and frustrated when they left and hadn't bothered to wait for change from the restaurant. She considered going to the Manor but immediately decided against it. He wouldn't appreciate a breech of his privacy.

Because this was obviously a private moment for him; he hated to show weakness. She thought of owling him, but again thought he wouldn't like her to pry.

Finally she realised she just had to wait, this was something he was going to get over himself. She hoped.

At seven, she settled down to watch some T.V., something she hadn't done in a long time. She flicked listlessly through the channels, watching parts of hundreds of soap operas that were on at this time.

Much later, when she had fallen asleep on the couch, she was woken by an owl fluttering through her window. It was Hedwig.

She took the letter of her leg and gave the large bird a treat. Hedwig nibbled, hooting happily and perched herself on the window ledge, Harry clearly wanted a reply.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I am really sorry about the argument I had with Draco, I shouldn't have acted like that and I feel really bad for putting you in that situation. Please forgive me._

_On other terms, I think your interview went well and I spotted you and Draco in the café today, it was good to see._

_I'd really like to help you with this, some other Slytherins are putting up a fuss, but I will find time to help if you need me._

_Harry_

Hermione smiled, _this_ was the Harry she knew. She took a quill and wrote her reply.

_Dear Harry_

_You're forgiven, I don't know why you've been like this lately but if you have anything you want to talk about, you know I'm here for you._

_Me and Draco are alright, we will be fine for now, I'm sure the others have you occupied._

_But one thing you can do for me, is find me an occupation. I've come to realise that being an auror isn't the best idea now so if you have any ideas for what I can do as a job, please let me know._

_Thanks for owling._

_Hermione_

She tied the letter to Hedwig's leg, gave her another treat and watched her fly off. Her own owl, Ewing, hooted in protest at having received no treats.

"But you didn't do anything." She laughed affectionately, taking a few over to his cage.

When she opened the door, he flew out and perched on one of the dining room chairs, a treat tucked firmly in his beak.

Hermione smiled before heading off to bed. She closed the windows and beckoned for Ewing to follow her. The speckled brown owl flew over obediently.

"I'll leave this window open for you." She said, closing her bedroom door and opening the window. Ewing hooted in agreement, settling on the window ledge.

"Good night Ewing." She mumbled, after she had changed and slipped between the sheets.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Draco hadn't gone to Malfoy Manor, but instead gone to another large home further south. This place was hardly used and the last time he was here was when he was hiding with Voldemort.

He paced the cold study, not bothering to light the fire.

All he could see was her expression after he had snapped at her. She was surprised, shocked and confused. She had every reason to be.

He had experienced such a pleasant feeling with her, had such a happy morning, and he had to go ruin it.

'Why does nothing ever go right?' He wondered, frustrated. The feeling he gets when with Hermione is like nothing he's ever felt before and he knew he wanted to feel that way for as long as possible.

So why couldn't he keep it together? Why did something always have to ruin things?

He paced until he was completely drained. Then with a huff he sat on the bed and wondered where Hermione was. If she was at her apartment, and surprisingly, if she was okay.

'I should get back.' He thought, tiredly.

Before he could take his leave, he lay down and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

When Hermione woke up it was still dark, and she was shivering.

She got up to find Ewing who was asleep on her desk. Quietly she shut the window and picked up another blanket from the closet.

Wrapping it around her, she stepped out of her room in the lounge, Draco wasn't there. She walked through her entire apartment and found no sign of him ever returning.

Sighing, she returned to bed and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Draco was preparing to apparate to her apartment. He cleared his sleep ridden mind and waved his wand with a practiced motion.

All the lights were off when he popped into the lounge. He crept around to her room where she was sleeping. Deciding not to disturb her, he conjured a blanket and slept on the couch.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ewing was hooting, loudly. Hermione groaned and open one eye blearily.

"What?" She grumbled. Ewing hooted again, tapping on her window. She frowned, rubbed a hand across her face and stood up to open the window.

After Ewing had taken off, she shut the window again and went to the bathroom, someone was already in there, her heart skipped a beat.

Cautiously she stepped out and gripped her wand from the dresser. Then she crept inside and silently hit the figure in the shower with a stunning charm.

The body dropped without a sound. After waiting a moment, she pulled back the curtain and gasped "Draco!" She knelt down, not minding that she was getting soaked through, and waved her want, muttering.

He came to a few seconds later eyeing her groggily.

Hermione was gazing at him, concern written over her face and they were in the shower. "I won't ever ask you for a wake up call." He grumbled, standing up.

"Oh I'm sorry! I didn't know!" Hermione stepped out of the shower to give him some room, dripping all over the floor.

"It's okay." He said quickly. They stood for a moment before Hermione looked up and realised he was completely naked.

Her eyes widened and she let out a little gasp. Without another word she shot out of the bathroom and shut the door firmly.

Draco turned off the water, having been successfully woken up and wrapped a towel around his waist. He peeked out the door and saw Hermione busy in the kitchen, so he dashed out to her room where his clothes were kept.

Breakfast was uncomfortable. Last night's disagreement and the incident in the shower lay heavily between them. "I hope you were okay last night." Draco tried to smile warmly

"I um…yes I was alright." Hermione replied, refusing to be the first to admit she missed him.

"I… I'm uh… sorry for yesterday." Draco stumbled clumsily over his words.

Hermione smiled, she noticed it was the first time she had ever heard him say sorry. "It's okay, I understand."

"You do?"

She nodded "I do."

Just then a large bird fluttered in through the balcony door and dropped its letter on the table in front of Draco. It perched for a moment, ruffled its feathers importantly and flew off again.

Both of them raised their eyebrows in question.

"Open it." Hermione urged.

Draco lifted the parchment and unravelled it.

_Dear Mr Malfoy_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been chosen to be seeker of the new International Quiddich Team. It is our privilege to have you on our team._

_We understand that there may be times when you will be absent and have assigned Mr Harry Potter as our reserve seeker, it is recommended that you set up contact with Mr Potter so that you can inform him if you are unable to play._

_The International Quiddich Team has been organised by the Worldwide Quiddich Society to encourage unity and international harmony. It would be expected of you to be a role model and encourage this cause, as will the rest of the team._

_You will be informed on your first training time later in the week._

_Congratulations and welcome on board._

_Cadel Paolini_

_Manager of the Worldwide Quiddich Society_

He passed to letter to Hermione who read it quickly, her face breaking into a warm smile.

"This is so amazing!" She squealed and came around to bear-hug him. He was surprised but that didn't mean he didn't like it.

"I want to come to see you play!" She exclaimed, the tension forgotten.

Draco smiled "I'd like you to watch." He admitted.

Hermione kissed him softly, her lips gentle and smooth.

He sat looking at her, wondering if he should pull her in for another kiss like he wanted to.

"Congratulations." She whispered softly before lowering her lips to meet his again.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

_Dear Hermione_

_I am fine, really._

_About your job, I'm not sure. With your qualifications and you should be able to do what ever takes your fancy._

_My own suggestions however are to do something quiet. You deserve a break and it's not like you have to work, become a librarian, work in a nice shop on Diagon Alley; something that's relaxing and lets you enjoy life._

_Harry_

Hermione smiled as she folded the parchment and watched Hedwig fly away. Draco had been called in to finally do something about Malfoy Inc. by its manager. He had promised to be back in a couple of hours.

She thought about Harry's suggestions and wondered if she should become a librarian. She would find that relaxing. But it also seemed very boring compared with being at auror.

It was a hard decision to make. She pondered on it for a while before deciding to take a walk. She took her coat and went to the park.

Once there she remembered the flower Draco had given her. She reached inside her pocked and found it was still there, and still looking fresh thanks to the preserving charm she placed on it. She held it and continued walking, enjoying the quiet.

After a while she came across a group of young children playing. She stopped to watch them play with a large blue ball. It was a warming sight, during the war, no children dared venture outside and no one laughed like they were now.

She felt happy that she fought for the future of these children, fought so that they didn't have to.

"Do you want children?" A familiar voice asked behind her.

She turned to Draco who was also looking at the children. "It's a little early for that don't you think?"

Draco smiled down at her "Yes, I think so." They continued to walk slowly, retracing their steps. "Are you still going tonight?" He asked.

Hermione nodded. "You didn't have any plans did you?"

"No." Draco looked out over the park where groups of people where sitting. "I have to go back anyway."

"Why?"

"Just business issues, you don't need to worry yourself about them." He reassured.

Hermione didn't like the slightly troubled look on his face but let it go anyway. "I was thinking of becoming a librarian." She announced.

"A librarian? What for?" He asked, incredulous.

"Well I need a job." Hermione began.

"You don't need to worry about that for a while." He smiled.

Hermione looked up at him "Why?"

"Well there is so much to be taken care on at the Manor, you need to fix it up for us. My parents and I never really had the same taste." He joked.

Hermione was surprised 'Did he just crack a joke?' she asked herself.

"Oh, so I will need to re-decorate it?" The idea seemed fun but when she remembered the size of the Manor she blanched.

"Well yes, that's the idea." Draco continued.

Hermione frowned, thinking about the layout. "Well I guess that could take a while."

Draco laughed "Yes, it does."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

So things are looking a little brighter? Enjoyed writing this, wish school didn't have to start now!

Please review, what would you like to see happen? I will consider all your ideas!

Thanks!


	12. A Visit From A Friend

Okay well I hope this is soon enough… I have a lot on this term, 3 maths comps and a million internals (teachers just love to put them all on at once) and study. I love writing this and your reviews really motivate me, thank you so much!

Yes I didn't put in a disclaimer, but you all know the drill.

Now please enjoy!

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Hermione had spent a wonderful evening with her friends at Ginny's place. They had eaten a hearty dinner and she enjoyed simply talking, something they hadn't had the liberty to do much recently.

When she apparated back into the apartment, she was surprised to see it empty. It was nearing midnight and Draco had not returned. He had told her he was going to sort out some things at the company.

She closed the curtains and tidied up around the lounge, wasting time until he returned. At 2 am she began to worry, he was late, very late. The company's business couldn't take this long could it? No, it didn't.

She felt something was wrong but what could she do? She had no idea where he was, he had never shown her where the company was located, and he hadn't owled her to let her know he would be late.

A small voice told her it was silly to worry, that she should go to bed and rest. It was sensible. Draco had fought alongside her, he knew how to take care of himself. They had reached an reasonably stable stage in their friendship, but she felt he was hiding many things from her.

Including what had been keeping him tonight.

She had been mulling over these thoughts while pacing the lounge and realised half an hour had gone by.

'This is stupid.' She thought. Finally breathing deeply, she flicked her wand and the lights went out. Making her sleepy way to bed she thought about going to look for him.

'No.' A voice firmly told her. So she changed and lay down, letting sleep take her in its warm embrace.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Merlin look at the time, Mr Malfoy I should be getting home, my wife will most likely jinx me for staying out so late."

Draco started, he had been reading through reports for what seemed like hours. "Pardon?"

"I said, I must be getting home Mr Malfoy, my wife will be waiting." His elderly advisor said. He was a hunched old man with sharp pointed features and his voice had a nasal tone.

At the mention of 'wife' Draco looked to his wrist watch. "Merlin." He muttered. It was nearly 3am and he had not owled Hermione.

"Yes, yes, go." He waved a hand carelessly in the old wizards direction.

The grey head lowered slightly, "Good night to you Mr Malfoy." And he disapparated, leaving Draco to sweep him documents into their files and put them away. His wand made the work much easier on his aching eyes.

Checking that everything had been put away he also disapparated. When he arrived at the apartment, he saw everything dark. Lighting the dining room he crept over to Hermione's bedroom where her sleeping form could just be made out in the shadows.

He ran a hand though his now scruffy hair and wondered if she would be angry in the morning. The train of thought continued as he drank some water and changed into a shirt and boxers.

Finally, he flopped like a fish out of water onto the couch and fell asleep.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Draco?" Hermione saw his sleeping form when she awoke at nearly midday. He didn't move when she called and she saw dark patched under his eyes, they contrasted so much with his pale skin she felt they looked worse than they were.

All the same, she quietly got a muffin to eat and a coffee to take back to her room.

She had no idea what time he had returned but it must have been quite late… Or early.

Sitting near the window she could see out onto the streets where people were bustling about their daily lives. Most were muggles in this area, that's why they had chosen it; more privacy from probing wizard press.

After a while she took her cup to the kitchen and saw Draco sitting up. He appeared to just have woken, his hair was sticking up at odd angles and he was rubbing his face blearily in an attempt to wake up fully.

"Draco?" She inquired. He jumped, it was the first time she had ever seen him jump and she raised at eyebrow quizzically at him. "Are you alright?"

He stared at her, as though he didn't understand a word she was saying. Eventually, after blinking a few times he cleared his throat. "Yes, I'm fine."

She waved her wand, summoning a cup of coffee and offered it to him. He took it and drank a mouthful before setting it down on the table and running a hand through his hair.

When she said nothing, he glanced up at her "Well you can start yelling now, I'm awake and listening."

She couldn't help but laugh then, she had been worried about him. No matter what she did to deny herself, she had been concerned about his wellbeing.

He seemed confused by her laughter "You're not angry?" She sensed surprise in his words.

"No, I guess I'm not." She smiled sitting next to him.

They were very close but he made to attempt to move away, instead he lay back, sighing. "That's good."

They sat in silence for a while as they noises from the traffic below floated in through the window.

"What time did you come back?" Hermione asked, turning to face him. He stiffened slightly but when he looked at her his face was calm.

"Around three."

Hermione's eyes widened, "You should get some sleep." Was all she said.

"Ah, yes." He agreed warily, he didn't think she would act so nice about it.

"Well go on then!" She pulled at his arm and shoved him into her room. He was slightly confused but had no time to speak any protests before she shut the door, saying "Don't touch any of my things!"

He sighed, he would never understand her, but he had to admit, she was a pleasant character to be with considering all the cold-hearted men he had met before.

Too tired to think anymore, he slumped onto her unmade bed and slept soundly.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

She _cared_ about him. This was such a surprise. She wanted him to be happy. She wanted him to be healthy and she didn't want to fight with him.

All throughout Hogwarts they had been enemies, rivals and at each others throats. When the war started he had been in league with Voldemort. He was the real enemy. He was the threat. But he had changed, he had come asking for forgiveness and served them loyally.

This last part made her see a new side of him, a side he had never before revealed. It was the Griffindor within. He was capable of making a decision for the greater good. And in doing so he had endangered his life, he had risked everything; for what? For power? For gold? No, he had done it because it was right.

"He's a good guy." She whispered to herself, knowing that some people didn't think that but she lived with him, she saw what he could be like, and she knew he had morals.

She sat outside on the balcony, drinking lemonade and thinking deeply about their relationship. Where was it going? And where was it now?

Still thinking intently she jumped when Harry apparated before her. He smiled "Hello Hermione."

"Harry, it's nice to see you." She hugged him and conjured and drink which he took with thanks.

"How have things been?" He asked sitting beside her.

Hermione smiled "They have been very good. And you?"

"A little stressful I guess, with Dumbledore gone the Ministry wants me to step in and take control of things. But I really don't want that now." He sighed wearily.

"Oh? Minster of Magic? That's an honour Harry." She told him softly, careful not to elaborate on Dumbledore's death; a topic that Harry was still sensitive about.

"Yes, I guess it is, but I just want to play quiddich now, I don't want more stress and responsibility." He explained.

Hermione agreed, knowing Harry's true passion lay with his sport "Then play, no one can stop you."

Harry smiled gratefully at her "Thanks Hermione."

They sat in content silence, feeling comforted by the privacy. Harry and Hermione had hardly had any time alone together during the war. He had been so busy organising attacks and meeting with others, they barely saw much of each other during those years.

Now they had the liberty to enjoy each other's company without thinking of the dangers of sitting outside; so exposed. And knowing they wouldn't be called off at any moment to fight death eaters and save other's lives.

Hermione was remembering the school days, when they had gotten into all kinds of mischief and she had become such good friends with Harry and Ron. Those days when it was just them seemed so long ago. When you fought for others, for your friends, family and the muggles, the witches and wizards, you sometimes forgot that you were fighting for yourself too. For the past you had, the happiness you know existed before all the bloodshed began.

"So have you decided on a job yet?" Harry questioned quietly, as though afraid to disturb the tranquillity of the moment.

Hermione shook her head "No, I don't need one right now, Draco has given me a huge task."

"What is it?" Harry was curious.

"Re-decorating the manor." She stated in a monotone. Harry laughed, he could just imagine Hermione nit-picking over every little thing inside the simply enormous Malfoy Manor.

"What is so funny?" Hermione demanded, mocking a stern voice.

"Oh Hermione, that will take you forever, especially you being a perfectionist and all." Harry continued to chuckle while Hermione grasped the size of her task. It _would_ take a long time. She only hoped it was enough to keep her interested and occupied for a few months.

"It will give me time to think of a suitable career." She countered weakly, a smile breaking through her mask of seriousness.

"Am I interrupting?" A familiar drawl caught their attention.

There standing in the door way was a well groomed Draco Malfoy. He was looking questioningly at them with one eyebrow raised.

Harry shook his head "No, come join us."

Draco stepped out, slipping to the other seat beside Hermione. He conjured his own drink and drank deeply. "What business brings you here Potter?"

"Nothing, only to be with one of my best friends." Harry replied, undaunted by Draco's crisp manner.

"I see. You will not mind then that I take my fiancé away for a few hours?"

Hermione looked up at him, surprised. "What?"

But Harry took it in his stride. "Of course, I'll see you both later." And without another word he disapparated.

Hermione turned to Draco "Were you trying to get rid of him or are you actually planning on taking me somewhere?"

Draco smirked "You think I would enjoy Potter's company?" But at Hermione's dark glare he quickly spoke again "But of course I'm taking you out."

Hermione's face lightened considerably "Really? Where?"

"Well I was thinking of taking you to that restaurant we went to last time. Or perhaps if you don't want to eat we can go to see a movie, I've heard it's a very popular pass-time for muggles." He detailed, all the while watching her face. When he reached the part about the movies she smiled.

"That's very sweet, but actually I'm hungry, let's go eat something." She flounced off to her room to change.

Draco sat staring out to the horizon. He and Hermione had gone through many arguments and difficult times over the last month and a half. Their friendship had strengthened rapidly and he did feel attracted to her sometimes.

He felt the need to tread carefully, if Potter really intended for them to get married, then he wanted to be friends with her at least.

This late lunch would be his way of apologising for returning so late. And then what? Did you always need a reason to take your fiancé out to lunch or dinner? He thought that it would be silly to make up a reason for each time he wanted to take her out.

He wanted to take her out. The thought seemed so strange and yet it wasn't unwelcome. Things were very confusing at this time, but he accepted that things weren't always easy.

"Are you ready?" Hermione asked. She was wearing a black skirt and a pale blue sleeveless top and her favourite beige coloured coat was draped over her arm.

He rose swiftly. "Yes, let's go."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

That was quite a lot of 'no action'. I apologise but putting what is in the next chapter at the end of this one would make it far too long. So I wanted to separate it. Consider this a filler.

Please continue reading!


	13. One Step Forward

Alright so here is the next chapter where I assure you more will happen, I'm feeling the tingling sensation that means I'm going to encounter writers block very soon, so please after reading this, write in some ideas for me to consider.

Thanks so much too everyone that has reviewed, I have to give a extra special thanks to FreeSpritSprite who has been a regular reader and reviewer! (I think that was a typo and it was supposed to be 'OOC') Thank you very much!

Now, on with the story.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

This time, Hermione was able to enjoy their entire meal within the restaurant and accompany Draco home. But they didn't return to the apartment straight away, instead Draco took her to the Manor once more.

Now that they weren't there in hiding, she could fully appreciate the age and wealth of the Malfoy family. The artefacts contained within each room and hallway were ones she had only every heard of, such legendary objects she never thought she would ever see in her life. They were objects deeply associated with the dark arts, but she could not hold back her awe.

Draco had grown with these dark artefacts around him all the time and could only mildly understand the curiosity and wonder Hermione expressed.

They toured the entire Manor, the lower levels containing many old records and family trees. Draco hardly ventured here and it still smelt of his father's presence. Sensing his unease, Hermione didn't wander long and told him she wanted to see the upper levels.

For so long the Order had tried to obtain information that had been within Draco's grasp all his life, within his very home. It was bitterly ironic but she understood why Draco could never give any of these documents to the Order, his father would have found out for sure.

"Would you like to see the kitchens?" He asked mildly. No one had ever been given such a close tour of every part of Malfoy Manor apart from Draco himself.

His family would have been furious that he was showing a mudblood everything in his home. But all of his family was dead, so he didn't really care. He didn't feel the fear he would normally have at breaking the rules because he was the one making the rules now; he was the only Malfoy left and damned if he was going to let his father rule his life even in death.

"Yes, I would." Hermione smiled, taking his hand. It was such a natural reflex now. She found she liked the feel on his palm on hers. It was smooth and gentle. Not the cold, harsh hand she imagined it would be.

Draco led her up a flight of narrow stairs which opened up to a magnificent kitchen. It was the size of Griffindor common room at least. Plates, pots, pans and all kinds of cutlery were put away neatly along each wall. Through the middle was a long line of stoves and ovens.

Hermione saw a group of house elves scuttling around but didn't say anything. This didn't stop Draco from spotting the slight frown that flashed across her face.

"Anything else here you wanted to see?" He asked, indicating there was more to see than house elves and kitchens. Hermione turned and nodded, following him out and up more stairs to the drawing room.

"Well you've been here before." He began, stepping into the room.

Hermione certainly had, it had been here that they had argued. She had seen a hand full of rooms that he had shown her but never took the time to observe her surroundings carefully.

"It's a lovely house Draco." She said when her tour finally ended in the formal lounge.

Draco snorted, sounding very unlike his usual cool self "'Lovely'? Merlin's beard, what have you been looking at all afternoon?"

Hermione threw him a defiant look "It's so interesting, that's what I meant. Of course it isn't my cup of tea, it's too dark and creepy."

"Yes, it was supposed to be like that." Draco replied dryly.

"That will all change." Hermione informed him with a business-like tone in her voice.

"How do you mean?" He could just imagine coming home and seeing a blindingly bright colour scheme throughout his home and house elves merrily skipping through the halls dressed in pink ribbons.

"This place needs to lighten up, open the curtains and let natural light in for once." She looked around a contemplative expression on her face.

Draco knew it was better not to question her at this stage, instead he led her to a seat and sent the house elf for drinks. "How exactly do you feel about this arrangement?" He asked suddenly taken over by impulse.

Hermione looked up, confused "What arrangement?"

"Our engagement." He replied off hand.

Hermione seemed to think about this for a moment and met his gaze, smiling slightly "I guess you could say, it's better than I thought."

Draco smiled back, a true genuine smile "I feel the same way."

Hermione would never have believed the words would come from his mouth unless she had heard it in person. It was truly incredible to see him smile; something she felt she would never tire of seeing.

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Upon returning to the apartment, Draco and Hermione separated to sleep. It was late and both of them were content with the day's activities.

But when Hermione closed her bedroom door she felt the happiness draining away slowly. Like someone was sucking it out of her through a straw.

She couldn't fathom why she would feel this way, she had just enjoyed a day with Draco, they hadn't fought at all and she was feeling for once that they were going to be alright.

So why the nostalgia? She shook her head, clearing her thoughts and changed. Lying in bed she felt cold, restless and … Lonely.

The realisation hit her with the force of an elephant. She sat bolt upright, and breathed deeply. She was feeling _lonely_? How could she possibly feel lonely?

'Because you know he's there.' A voice in her head told her. She knew it was true but tried to deny it. She enjoyed Draco's company, but she didn't need it.

"Oh Merlin." She whispered hugging her knees to her chest. It was true, she wanted Draco with her, hugging her close like he had done so earlier that day.

It seemed her legs moved of her own accord, she got out of bed and opened the door. Outside all the lights were off and the apartment was silent.

Try as she might, she could not stop herself from approaching the couch and gazing at the silhouette of his sleeping form. She paused for a moment, at loss.

All these emotions inside her were so foreign, she didn't know what she was supposed to do. Slowly her hand reached out to him, but it retracted as she thought again. Was that his shoulder? Or his head? She leaned a little to the right, trying to see where exactly his head was. But she couldn't make out anything in the shadows.

Again her hand reached out, she prodded him gently. 'That feels too soft to be a shoulder.' She thought, moving her hand up a bit and prodding him again. 'Alright, that was a shoulder.' She knew for sure now.

Nudging him again, he stirred but didn't wake. Hermione stood up, wondering if she should even wake him. The feeling had gone, but that was probably because he was right there with her, even if he was sleeping.

"Draco?" She said quietly. He didn't react. She poked his form, again receiving no reaction.

Moving her fingers softly from his shoulder, she found his ear and leant in close to in "Draco." She said louder.

Draco jumped, his eyes were wide but it was so dark he couldn't be sure if they were open. A hand was on his arm, he grasped the wrist sharply, hearing a gasp of shock.

"Who are you?" He growled, slipping back into the defensive mode everyone had acquired during the war.

Hermione found he was very strong. When she heard his voice she realised he didn't know where he was. "It's me, Hermione." She answered softly, immediately his grip lightened.

Draco fought back a sigh of relief, he understood that the war was over, he was in the apartment and following those thoughts was a wave of memories from their day together. He smiled, but knew she couldn't see it in the dark.

"Are you alright?" He asked, turning to face the general direction she thought she would be in.

"Yeah. I'm fine." She breathed, wondering how she was going to go about her task now.

Draco saw her vague outline and managed to take her hand and sit her down beside him. "What is it?"

Hermione shifted uncomfortably, feeling that she must have imagined her loneliness. "I … Nothing." She mumbled.

Draco could tell she was lying "You just woke me up for fun?"

Hermione could hear the smirk in his voice. "No, I came out to… Ask you something."

"Ask me what?" Draco intertwined their fingers sub-consciously.

Hermione took a deep breath, 'Is this a mistake?' an urgent voice asked. 'You're engaged to him.' A stronger voice retorted. 'Because you were forced into it!'

'But he's alright, he's a good person.' She nodded slightly to herself.

"What did you want to ask me?" Draco pressed, not knowing what to expect from her.

Hermione breathed deeply again "Would you… Do you… I mean if you want…" It was an utter disaster and she was sure Draco would be able to feel the heat from her face.

"If I want what?" Draco had never seen Hermione so awkward. She usually was calm and cool, always knowing what to do.

"Come and sleep with me?" She blurted, cringing at the bluntness of her words.

Draco was taken aback, he had never expected this. They had been living together for over a month and he felt they were on very good terms, but did she really feel that way towards him? He never thought she did.

"Sleep with you?" Was all he said, stunned.

Hermione quickly stood up "No, not like that. I mean to literally sleep; in the same bed as me." She thought that steam must be coming out of her ears by now; she had made it sound so much worse!

Draco thought, he had been sleeping on the couch for a long time and although it was rather large and soft, he did miss the comforts of a bed.

"Alright." He replied, getting up and stretching slightly.

"W-what?" Hermione stammered, 'Did he just agree?'

"I said alright, lets go. I miss sleeping in a bed." He smiled, forgetting she couldn't see it and led her over to her room where a soft light seeped out from the door that was slightly ajar.

Hermione followed numbly, she had just asked what she never thought she would ever ask Draco Malfoy and now they were heading to her room, to sleep together.

When they were inside he shut the door and flopped onto her bed. He sighed in bliss "Oh this feels so good." The expression on his face made Hermione chuckled in spite of herself.

Draco looked up through half closed eyes, "Come on then, don't just stand there."

Hermione made her way slowly to her side of the bed. She bent down and slid between the covers, lying on her back, inches from Draco's arm.

He turned to her "Thank you for liberating me from that over stuffed couch." This time she could see his smiled and returned one.

"You're welcome."

Draco leaned over and kissed her lightly. "Goodnight." And with a small whisper of a spell, the lights went out, leaving Hermione in the dark and blushing terribly.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The sun rose early, waking Hermione softly with its warmth. She yawned widely and stretched.

Her hand hit something and that something grunted in surprise. She leapt from the bed as the figure sat up rubbing its head.

"Draco?" She breathed.

The events of last night crashed down on her and her face was crimson. Draco turned to look at her and smirked "Oh yes, I think I'll take the couch back now, I didn't know the bed came with a wake up call."

Hermione turned away, embarrassed that she had needed Draco; that she had asked him to sleep with her last night. It was simply too much.

"Come here." Draco had been shocked when her hand collided with his head, and he could tell she was still embarrassed about last night.

Hermione turned to him slowly, not meeting his eyes and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Closer." He urged gently

Hermione moved slowly over to her pillow, feeling intensely awkward. Draco closed the distance between them and surprised her by hugging her to him.

"Embarrassment is good for building character." He recited as though from a text book.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. Instantly she was relaxed against him and he lay down. Her cheek was resting on his chest and she could hear his steady heart beat as the breathed.

"Who said that?" She asked when her voice had returned.

Draco chuckled causing Hermione's head to bounce a little "I did."

She looked up then, smiling at him. He was so different, instead of the usually smirk there was a smile and it transformed his face. She felt safe with this man, she felt comforted and assured that everything would be alright.

It was rather ironic seeing as he was once the man that meant death to the Order. They had tried for so long to hunt him down and in the end he had found them.

"Are you hungry?" She enquired, moving off his chest and laying in the crook of his arm. Her head just fit there as though it was meant to be.

Draco looked down at her head, in what could be classified as wonder. He never knew anyone could make him feel so complete. "No, I'm not." Came his reply.

They lay there, getting used to the feeling of being in each others arms. It was peculiar at first, but soon the feeling was natural and they relaxed into slumber once more.

"HERMIONE!" Someone bellowed. Hermione jumped, startled she looked to Draco who was also looking disorientated and sleepy.

"HERMIONE!" It was Ron. She quickly slipped out of bed and took a blue gown from the hook. The moment she opened the door Ron took her arm and was dragging her over to the lounge, muttering all the while.

"Bloody prat…Think's he can tell me what to do… Doesn't bloody own the world…"

"Ron, what is going on?" She managed to gasp as he flung her down on the couch and stood opposite her, running a hand through his red locks.

"Harry." He said shortly, pursing his lips.

"What?" Hermione also began playing with her hair, wondering what Harry had done now.

"He set me up." Ron said tightly.

Hermione's eye's widened. "With who?"

Just then Draco entered, looking annoyed but saying nothing.

"Pansy Parkinson." Ron muttered gloomily.

Draco's eyebrows soared "Pansy? Whatever for?"

Ron looked up, noticing for the first time Draco was in the room. "To show _unity_." He spat.

Draco tried hard not to grin, he really did and so he ended up with a twisted grimace on his face. This suited Ron well who took it as an expression of understanding. "I know. It's downright unfair."

Hermione frowned "Pansy? I don't understand, when did she join our side?"

"Right after me. Never been able to get rid of that leech." Draco muttered.

"Oh? Ron, you're supposed to be with Pansy?"

"Yes, but he's got be going nuts if he thinks I'll ever do this." Ron began pacing.

Draco sat next to Hermione and they both watched his agitation grow with each step. "He's totally lost the plot." Ron finally announced, coming to a stop before them.

Draco leaned back, his trademark smirk in place "I tried to tell you that years ago Weasley but you just wouldn't listen."

Ron glared "He has been perfectly fine these few years but I think this is taking it too far."

"He set me up with Draco." Hermione stated, matter-of-fact.

Ron looked down at her "I know, that was bad enough. Now this…"

Hermione stole a glance at Draco who smiled at her before sliding his smirk back into place for Ron.

"Weasley, you know there is no stopping Potter." He drawled.

Ron sighed and sat down opposite them. "It doesn't mean I don't want to."

"Meet her Weasley, she'll have an opinion on this too." Draco drawled listlessly.

"Yes, she does. She stormed in on Harry actually and threatened to hex him into oblivion if he didn't take it back."

Hermione chuckled at the image. "What did Harry say?"

"He told her it was final and shut the door in her face." Ron sounded deeply upset by this and was frowning.

Hermione laughed out loud receiving a glare from Ron and a look of surprise from Draco.

"I don't know what to do." Ron admitted.

Draco knew how he felt, having experienced the same thing when he found out he was supposed to be Hermione's fiancé. "Just go along with his plan for a while, see how things go."

Ron was surprised. He had never heard any thing mildly nice escape from Malfoy's lips and certainly didn't expect the first time to be now. He thought the git would take the opportunity to tease him mercilessly. But instead he had offered him words of reassurance, like a friend.

"I suppose you are right." Ron replied warily. He glanced at Hermione who was smiling at him and didn't seem to find Malfoy's actions at all suspicious.

Draco felt at ease, he had just been nice; such an over-rated concept. It didn't make him feel like a better person but it made Hermione happy therefore it satisfied him.

Alright, how was that? I think it is 10x better than chapter 12 but that's just me. I've received a suggestion that Hermione should get kidnapped and Draco rescues her. I'd like to know what other people think about that and how it would fit into my story.

Oh yes the Ron-Pansy thing? Don't really know where it will go at this stage, let me hear your ideas.

Thanks so much and please review even if you don't have an idea to offer, I would like to know what you think of my writing!

**A/N:** Yes I have a lot on at school right now so I'm sorry for the slow updates, don't stop sending reviews though and I will get onto it in all of my spare time. Thanks!


	14. Business Deals

Okay semester change in a couple of weeks and I am not looking forward to calculus…

Aside from my depressing thought, it's my birthday this month, yes! Ha ha, sweet 16th here I come.

Thanks to all of my reviewers, I love you all for your contributions.

i love harry potter: Yes I agree, it would be very good for Harry to be given some of his own medicine! Who would you suggest I pair him up with?

MssrBlaze: Thanks a lot for your review, and yes I want to keep it a nice fluffy fic. Glad you like it.

Hecate goddess of Darkness: I am moving away from the kidnapping idea but I agree with you, I would like to see Draco get worked up and therefore show how much he really cares for Hermione.

Jepa: Your idea is very good and I think you will see it coming around sooner or later. Thanks!

Special thanks to my great friend Jo who has been such an enthusiastic reader and has encouraged me heaps.

Here is the next chapter.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Draco opened a letter a large brown owl had just dropped on his lap. Hermione was in the kitchen trying to bake a cake without magic. By the sounds of her mutterings and random outbursts of curses, it wasn't going smoothly.

_Dear Mr Malfoy_

_A training time has been scheduled for the International Quiddich Team. It will be at 1pm on Monday. You are expected to come with full gear and your broom should be in good condition. The aparation co-ordinates are enclosed._

_We thank you and await your arrival with great anticipation._

_Cadel Paolini_

_Manager of WQS_

Draco heard something crash outside and decided it was time to intervene. 'This is why there are house elves.' He thought.

"Hermione, are you alright?" The moment he stepped in he could see her face red with frustration and a series of uneven blobs in cake tins. It was difficult to tell which ones were already cooked.

"This is so horrible! Why can't I do this?" She gestured to the row of 'cakes'.

'Oh, they are _all_ cooked.' He raised his eyebrows slowly. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know!" Hermione threw down the tea towel and sighed. Draco sensed this was the time he was supposed to be supportive so he hugged her.

She was surprised by his actions but relaxed into his arms. He was getting very good at deciding when she needed comfort and when she needed to be alone.

"Maybe you should leave it for now." He suggested lightly.

Hermione shook her head, breaking away and looking around the disorderly kitchen. "No, I will make this cake."

"So stubborn." Draco smiled. He liked that, her Griffindor traits were most appealing.

"Alright then, well I will just wait over-" He was interrupted when another owl swooped into the room. It was black and its eyes glistened when it glared at Hermione.

Draco recognised the owl immediately and his stomach dropped.

The bird released its letter into Draco's hands and flew over to perch on the balcony rail.

This letter was short and hastily scribbled.

_Mr Malfoy_

_We need to meet immediately to talk about Malfy Inc. It is urgent and I stress that you cannot continue to ignore this. Owl me to let me know when you can meet me._

_It can no longer be put to one side._

_Phillip_

"What?" Hermione's voice made Draco jump. He didn't realise she had been reading it and quickly folded it away.

"Nothing, I have to go but I will be back soon." He made to turn away but Hermione blocked his exit.

"I saw it, now tell me, what is going on?" She demanded.

Draco ran a hand through his hair, showing his stress. "I… It's just business Hermione."

"What to do with the business?" She prodded.

"It's… going through a rough patch." He said slowly.

Hermione frowned "How rough?"

He felt out of place and wished she would just leave him alone, but of course, she wouldn't. "Very rough."

There was a pause as Hermione absorbed this information and tried to think of how this was affecting Draco. Obviously it was important in terms of Harry's plans. Since the war, people had grown wary of dealing with Mafloy Inc. or anything vaguely related to the Malfoy family. For the business to do well, was a sign of acceptance and that's what Harry wanted.

But himself? His ancestors built that business from the ground up, he would surely feel ashamed if it fell in his hands. But then, he had betrayed them, left centuries of tradition behind to join the light side. Did that mean he didn't really care for the business anymore?

"Can I go now?" Draco had seen a thousand thoughts racing through Hermione's brain. She was thinking carefully about something, but he didn't really know what.

"Can you fix it?" She asked, completely ignoring his earlier question.

Draco had a sinking feeling he couldn't, but his pride wouldn't let him admit that just yet. He wouldn't go down without a fight. "I will try."

Hermione then stepped aside and watched him with a concerned frown as he wrote a reply and went to their bedroom to change.

Quietly going back to her baking, she could not help but worry for him.

He came out a few moments later, wearing a black suit and carrying a briefcase, he pecked her cheek and smiled reassuringly before apparating.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Draco arrived at his office, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He didn't want this business to die, not because Potter wanted it to stay, but because it was his. No Malfoy took failure lightly.

Letting this business fall was classified as failure.

"Mr Malfoy, I'm glad you could make it." Phillip said, a grim look on his wrinkled face.

"You didn't exactly leave me a choice." Draco replied sitting down behind his desk and glancing at the tower of papers that had been placed there.

"Mr Malfoy, it future of Malfoy Inc. needs to be seriously discussed."

"I realised."

"My advice sir; sell it."

Draco sat up, shocked at the very idea. "Sell it? That is out of the question."

Phillip gazed at him for a long time, his face expressionless. "It is no longer possible to save the company, I regret to inform you, selling is the best decision."

Draco sat back, considering all the repercussions of this act. The media would certainly turn it into some kind of scandal. But what other choice did he have?

"I will think about it."

"Mr Malfoy," Phillip began, frowning "There is no time to consider. You must make this decision now."

"I need to discuss this with Hermione." He made up an excuse and found it was rather a good one.

"That mudblood you've been set up with?" Phillip spat.

"DON'T CALL HER THAT!" Draco bellowed standing abruptly.

The old man was surprised by the outburst but didn't show it. Only a flicker of disappointment showed on his face. "Your decision?" He asked coolly.

Draco sighed, wondering why things always went so bad just when he thought he had everything under control.

"What are my options?" Draco asked, racking his brain for a solution.

Phillip wondered if he should even bother tell the young Malfoy what to do. It was obvious he had inherited the stubborn pride of all purebloods and didn't like the idea of letting this business go. "You need to find a way of getting more customers, and fast. Otherwise, there is no way we can continue to fund the company's activities."

Draco sat back, a contemplative expression on his face. There was so much going on in his life now, maybe it would be better to let things go. He should be spending more time on Hermione, like any fiancé would. He certainly had the personal funds to support him and Hermione without working.

"How do you suggest I get customers?"

Phillip shifted in his seat, "Many wizarding families wouldn't be comfortable dealing with Malfoy Inc. but if perhaps you came up with an idea that would motivate them…"

Draco nodded, but he had never been very creative, the Malfoy's had always relied on bribes and blackmail; a habit he wanted to cease.

"I will talk to Hermione and tell you my decision tomorrow." Draco announced. Phillip opened his mouth to object but shoved the words back down his throat when he caught Draco's look. It was a dangerous one that rarely came out in the young man, but that did not detract from its power over even the strongest of wizards.

"Very well Mr Malfoy, I need to stress how important it is that we reach a decision as soon as possible." He added.

Draco nodded. "Yes, call the other remaining share holders for a meeting after lunch tomorrow in the conference room. We will complete our discussion then."

Phillip nodded and stood after his boss had, they stood gathering papers and thinking. "Sir?"

"Yes?" Draco looked up at the old man. He had been his father's most trusted advisor and Draco knew for a fact he had been a death eater. When Draco had changed sides however, he had followed suit not too long after.

Draco had always thought he was a rather nice man to be working with his father and he trusted him, even though they only shared the common courtesies of business partners, but Draco felt Phillip had been his first friend.

"Are you engaged to her then?"

Draco nodded, his face blank "Yes, her name is Hermione."

Phillip nodded. "I wish you all the best Mr Malfoy."

Before Draco could think of a reply to this unexpected intimate comment, Phillip had disaparated.

For a moment, Draco stood still surprised. 'No one has ever said that to me before.' Was the only thought that crossed his mind.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Hermione, after hours of trial and error, managed to bake a perfect cake and just put it out to cool when Draco returned. Quickly she looked to him, curious as to how things had gone.

He looked relaxed and seemed tidy, not like last time when he had returned with his hair messed up and shirt crumpled.

"How did things go?" She asked, coming around to see him.

He smiled at her brightly and kissed her as though it was the most natural thing to do. "The business is in a right state."

Somehow, Hermione felt his expression and words didn't match. "What's going on?"

Instead of meeting the solid wall of defiance that he usually put up whenever she asked questions about the business, he went and sat down, already explaining everything.

"The finances are ruined, you know that don't you? It's a shambles, all the shareholders have backed out and so there is no funding for the business. Phillip told me to sell but I don't want to resort to that." He sat down, speaking as though he did this with Hermione every day.

She was listening intently but also thought about his sudden change. He was open, and he seemed happy despite the position of Malfoy Inc. She never would have thought he would come back in better spirits than when he left.

"So now we need to get more customers, more people interested in working with us." He finished, a satisfied expression on his face.

Hermione sat silently. Pondering what she was supposed to say to all of this. Was she supposed to be sympathetic? Or simply express no opinion what so ever?

"What do you think I should do?" This matter-of-fact question took her off guard and she found herself trying hard not to fall off her chair.

"W-What did you say?" She stammered, beginning to recover.

Draco appeared not to notice her shock. "What do you recommend I do?"

Hermione stared at him, hard, for a long time. Draco could see into her amber eyes, the thoughts that crossed them were obviously nothing to do with Malfoy Inc. "Did you finish that cake?" He asked suddenly.

Hermione nodded numbly, this Draco was incredibly different and she found the change nice, but she preferred the old Draco, she actually knew him.

"Can I have some? I haven't eaten for hours." He stood up, making his way to the kitchen.

She sat a moment longer, collecting her thoughts before following him.

He cut a small slice of the sponge cake and promptly took a bite. He sliced another piece for Hermione who took it and also ate.

"It's very nice." He smiled. She smiled back automatically.

'Who is this person?' She thought, he was definitely not Draco Malfoy. No matter how much Draco had changed, he would not be a man returning from business to discuss it with his fiancé and ask her advice. He certainly wouldn't be someone to eat a cake she had just cooked and smile sincerely while complimenting it.

"What have you done to Draco?" She found herself blurting out.

He stopped, hand halfway to his mouth, and stared at her. They remained that way for a moment before he put the cake down and leaned casually on the counter top. "Are you quite alright?"

"Yes." Hermione answered warily.

"I am Draco. Who did you think I was?" His eyebrow rose slowly as he awaited an answer.

"You're… different." She found she could not explain how his actions had thrown her off.

Draco smiled. "I am?" She nodded. "Phillip said something to me today." He continued.

"What did he say?" She asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"He said 'I wish you all the best Mr Malfoy.'"

Hermione frowned in confusion. "And?"

Draco seemed scandalised by her lack of understanding "And? You don't see? He is the…" He trailed off, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"What? What is it?" She wondered what it was an old man could have said that made him like this.

"It doesn't matter." Draco mumbled, but Hermione shook her head.

"It does matter."

He watched her for a moment. "No one has ever 'wished' me anything." He admitted quietly.

Comprehension dawned on Hermione's face. "Oh! I see, that's great!"

Draco felt warmed by her smiled but that did nothing to take away the awkwardness of the situation. Something so small had reduced him to a grinning ball of happiness.

He feared Hermione thought he was some kind of deprived child; something to be pitied.

On the contrary, Hermione understood perfectly and reached up to kiss him. "I'm glad you're happy."

He smiled down at her, she was all he needed at this moment. A brilliant ray of sunshine, making his world so much better to live in.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

The next morning, Draco took Hermione with him to the conference. She was dressed in a dark blue skirt and a green silk blouse.

They caused quite a stir among the scattered remains of Malfoy Inc. shareholders.

But no one dared to speak out against the boss's fiancé. She sat next to Draco, looked evenly at everyone.

"Welcome, it's good to see you all again." Draco began with a brisk tone. "I have come to discuss my plans for Malfoy Inc. and let me assure you, they do not include the business closing down."

The gathering of around ten middle aged men shifted. They shared looks of surprise and curiosity, while Phillip who sat on Draco's other side was clearly troubled.

"My fiancé, Hermione Granger, will explain to you the beginnings of the plan we created last night." He gestured over to Hermione who smiled politely to her audience.

"Hello and good day to you all." She began, pulling out some parchment and handing it around. "Here you will see the outline of our plan for Malfoy Inc."

"Muggles?" One dark haired man gasped.

Hermione smiled sweetly "Yes. It has been brought to our attention that wizard families just don't trust the Malfoy name anymore. Thus our new target clients are the muggles."

Murmurs echoed throughout the room and Hermione allowed them a moment before calling for quiet. "I am aware that this is most unorthodox but Mr Malfoy and myself refuse to give up this business without a fight."

Draco nodded, gazing at each man in turn. They were sceptical but he knew if anyone would be able to convince them, it would be Hermione.

"The muggle market is huge and with the right advertising we can reel in thousands of customers in a very short time. From this, we hope to raise enough funds to begin our campaign to the wizarding world." Hermione continued in a pleasant voice making it sound like the easiest thing anyone could possibly do.

"If I may," A man sitting near the end of the table began, "I would like to ask how exactly we would sell our services to the muggles? We deal in the import and export of magical goods." He added, as though Hermione wouldn't already know.

"We are aware of that Mr Anderson." Draco cut in coolly. "If you continue reading, you will see we are planning on selling something quite different to the muggle market."

The pale eyed man immediately sat back and looked down at the parchment Hermione had given him.

"Yes," Hermione breathed. "We will be dealing in telecommunications."

Looks of confusion and incomprehension filtered through the gathering of wizards.

Draco himself had felt that way when Hermione first mentioned it. She had spent over an hour explaining to him how muggle communication worked, and even now he wasn't overly confident he understood it.

"What is this 'telecommunications' Miss Granger?" Hermione turned towards the first truly polite voice she had heard. It was Phillip, she was startled by how old he looked, his skin wrinkled and his eyes calm.

She smiled at him and stood up, waving her wand, a board positioned itself at the front of the room right next to her. She began speaking as papers flew about in preparation for her presentation.

"Muggles are without magic; they cannot rely on magic as we do to communicate with each other." The wizards nodded slowly and their full attention was on her when her papers stopped moving.

"Muggles have developed several ways of communication that don't require magic. Here she flicked her wand and several pictures appeared on the board. At the same time, one page of parchment flew over to each wizard seated around the table.

"What you see before you is a telephone." She announced, pointing to the picture of a phone on her board.

They looked down at the picture before them and some frowned. "A telephone has been a part of everyday life for years in the muggle world. With it, they can speak in real-time to whoever is on the other side."

She waved her wand again and the pictures on the papers moved. A young woman dialling a number, placing the receiver to her ear and another woman appearing to answer the call.

"Do you see?" She asked.

A few heads nodded, others looked up in mild confusion. "How does this help us?" The man at the back asked.

Hermione smiled and glanced at Draco who stood up casually. "You would be hard-fetched to find a muggle home that does not contain at least one of these, telephones." He explained. "And, they pay for it."

At his last four words Hermione saw everything click into place for the wizards. They only knew the language of money and she felt a little put out that they weren't really interested in how a phone worked.

"And so we wish to set up a business providing this communication service." He finished, seating himself once again as whispers resounded in the room.

Hermione cleared her throat, immediately returning attention to her. "Telephones are not the only service we can provide."

The wizards looked up to her in surprise. "Muggles also pay for the usage of cell phones and internet connections."

Once again, puzzlement filled the room. "Cell Phones?" Phillip asked.

Hermione nodded, sending another piece of parchment at the wizards, this one with a picture of several different cell phones on it. "These are in many ways, just like telephones but they are portable."

Draco here took over from his seat. "These ones though, can be used to talk but also to send written messages; both costing money every time."

"There are hundreds of models and some are very expensive. They have the ability to take pictures and record sounds. Both of which can be sent to others at a cost." Hermione finished.

The group glanced at one another and some exchanged a few words before falling quiet again. "Miss Granger." Phillip looked to her.

"Yes?"

"This business could take a long time to set up in the muggle world."

Hermione nodded. "Of course it could, naturally there are many things to set up, rules, regulations and laws to abide by. But our plan is not to set up a completely new business, but branch off from a much larger one."

"How will that work?" The man next to Phillip asked, he seemed to be the youngest.

"We will simply buy out one branch of a large company and run from there. If all goes well we will have more than enough money to bring Malfoy Inc out of its dormant state." She smiled again.

Draco nodded, trying to see how they thought about this idea.

When no one spoke for a while, Hermione picked up a rather large booklet and held it up for them to see. "I have prepared this portfolio which contains all the information I have just told you and some more finer details. It also has in depth information on the workings of Telephones, Cell Phones and Internet Connections, which I am sure you will find interesting."

A booklet flew out to each person and they began flipping through it, scanning the contents briefly. "This is undeniably, a big plan, but we can pull it off. Malfoy Inc. will go into recession for a while and the staff here will be taken to muggle London to work. Once we have the necessary funds we can sell our telecommunications company and rejuvenate Malfoy Inc."

Phillip spoke once more, "When do you expect an answer from us?"

Draco stood then, meeting everyone's eyes. "We know that this is a huge leap into unknown territory, but Miss Granger here knows a lot about this and I trust her judgement. You're thoughts and final decisions will be brought forward in a weeks time. As Phillip has emphasised many times, Malfoy Inc. cannot wait longer than is necessary."

All heads nodded, they gathered their papers and began filing out of the room.

Hermione sat down and sighed. Draco placed a comforting hand on her shoulder "You did very well."

Phillip was the only one who remained in the room. "I must agree, your manner was most appealing. I believe this is a good idea and although some of the others may not feel entirely comfortable dealing with muggles, it is a good progress Miss Granger."

Hermione felt eternally grateful towards Phillip, he had been so kind, it was hard to believe he had been such a close friend of Lucius Malfoy.

When he had left Draco offered her a small smile "That was intense."

"Yes, I didn't ever think I was much of a business woman."

Draco chuckled, "Oh but you are."

"Will it work?"

"I have a very good feeling it will."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Wow this chapter was long and to be honest I didn't even get around to the event I wanted this to be! So I'm going to cut it here and continue into the next bit. I hope the conference scene wasn't too boring for you. I really enjoyed writing it and it just seemed to come out easily.

Thanks for your reviews and please drop in another one!


	15. Two Steps Back

Hey to you all, I feel that I may have made the last chapter a little boring. Sorry about that.

Well here is the next chapter, hope you like it.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Ewing and Gabrielle flew over the grounds of Malfoy manor at night, their keen eyes looking for prey.

They swooped over tall trees, immaculate gardens and the servants quarters.

Two figures were making their way towards the main entrance, upon seeing their masters, the owls glided down and perched on respective shoulders.

"Hello there." Hermione cooed, stroking Ewing affectionately while Draco absently ran his fingers over Gabrielle's feathers.

"So you were saying?" He prompted.

"Yes, I think we need to see Ron and Pansy, to make sure they will be alright."

"Why would I ever want to see her again?" He asked her, as though it was a perfectly logical question.

Hermione sighed, "You're going to have to get used to it, she's one of us now and she's 'engaged' to my best friend."

"What good will going to see them do?" He asked after a pause.

"Just to see how things are going."

"I thought we were busy people." Draco pointed out.

"We are." She agreed "But we can't ignore our friends."

"He's not my friend."

"Fine, _my_ friend." She rolled her eyes and gave Ewing one last pet before he took off, Gabrielle close behind.

"We will see him when we have time." Draco announced.

"We will _make_ time." Came the stern answer.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The next morning, Hermione was busy sending off letters to the Ministry about her resignation and Draco was talking to Phillip for many hours in the dining room.

When they had finished a light lunch, Draco and Hermione both aparated to his quiddich training. When they arrived, a very tall man in his 30's greeted them.

"Mr Malfoy, it's a pleasure to meet you, and is this your fiancé, Miss Granger?"

Draco took Hermione's arm and nodded "Yes, she is."

"I am Cadel Paolini." He had a cool demeanour and spoke politely.

"An honour to meet you."

Cadel led them through a glittering reception and then a wide hallway. Along the walls were framed portraits of quiddich players who stirred in their frames when they passed.

Finally they reached the field. Hermione had never seen such a well kept lawn. Every blade of grass was at the perfect height and stood up. She would have been afraid to walk on it.

"This is our training pitch, I hope you find it to your satisfaction Mr Malfoy." Cadel smiled but it never reached his eyes and Hermione could sense he was daring Draco to challenge him.

"No, it is most appealing." Draco answered calmly.

"Miss Granger, I believe you will find suitable seating if you follow that stair case, I need to show Mr Malfoy to our changing rooms." He continued, not bothering to hide the fact that he didn't want Hermione around.

Draco released her hand and smiled, she returned the gesture and ascended the stairs to her right without saying a word to Cadel.

After a moment, Draco saw Cadel turn and lead him through a corridor. There were several doors but they didn't have any labels and his guide offered no explanation. Finally at the end of the corridor, one door was open and low voices could be heard as they approached it.

Cadel indicated that Draco should enter. "The team changing rooms." Was all he said.

Draco stepped in and saw an array of foreign players he had never met in person before. They looked up with curious expressions on their faces as he entered.

"I would like to introduce you all to your seeker, Mr Malfoy." Cadel announced.

Many faces seemed to lighten with recognition. They had heard of him, and he wondered if they even knew he played quiddich.

"I trust you will all be well acquainted by the time our playing season starts." Draco noticed that here, Cadel's voice was less respectful than before and he looked down at the others players with mildly concealed disdain. "You are expected on the pitch in ten minutes."

Without another word, he left. Silence engulfed the room.

"Bastard ain't he?" A rather large man grinned at him. He had what Draco believed to be an Australian accent.

"Quite." Draco replied, moving over to a bench and looking around.

"You can change over there." He offered again.

Draco nodded and took his things to change, while listening to the conversation between the other players.

"_Mr Malfoy_? Does he expect us to call him that?" An American voice spoke.

"No, you know that Paolini character, I don't think he likes the idea and doesn't really want this team to last." Draco felt a liking towards the Australian player and made a note to ask his name.

"Who hasn't heard of the Malfoy name and the trouble that follows?"

"Times have changed; we're a team now."

Draco emerged, and silence filled the room. He put in place a cool demeanour. "Shall we go?"

He stepped out before the others said anything, and after a moment he could hear the others following him out.

The tension between team mates escalated with each step so that by the time they reached to pitch, Draco was fighting the urge to grind his teeth with frustration.

There in the middle of the pitch was a sprightly man with brown hair and a crooked nose. It appeared to have been broken some time in the past. He waved enthusiastically when he saw them arrive.

"Welcome! I'm your coach, Mark."

Everyone nodded politely. "Well I guess you don't really know each other so lets get in the air and try some warm ups."

Draco hopped onto his state-of-the-art broom and kicked off. The others rose beside him and he stopped to look at them.

They were a well assembled team in terms of fame, skill and money. The last part made Draco feel awkward, he knew Hermione wouldn't begin to understand the complexities of quiddich, let alone the necessity of paying your dues.

He began circling the pitch, enjoying the feeling of being in the air again after so long. Hermione waved to him and he smiled in return before rising and glancing down at Mark who was indicating with his wand that he was about to release the quaffle and bludgers.

Once they were out, the tension heightened unbearably and Draco found himself trying to avoid his team mates as much as the flying black bludgers.

They were at each others throats, trying to upshow each other. He saw the Australian chaser pass the quaffle to the American man but it was hit off course by a bludger one beater had slammed at him.

Mark blew his whistle and gestured violently for them to descend.

Draco was the first down and waited calmly for the others to get off their brooms.

"That was like nothing I have ever seen before." Mark began "You are professional players and yet I see you trying to beat the living daylights out of each other as though you are still in those petty school competitions!"

The players hunched defensively but no one spoke. "This cannot be what we look like at our first match. You are the best, start acting that way."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hermione sat down and watched the players carefully. She saw a bludger narrowly miss Draco's shoulder and knew it wasn't a mistake. There was obvious tension between the players and she didn't want to think Draco was right in the middle of it.

She could just imagine Draco firing up the tempers of the other players; it was one of his many talents.

He smiled at her, but she was not reassured. When the coach called them back down, she had a feeling they would be there for a long time.

He was gesturing widely and had a deep frown on his face. His lips were moving fast and she could tell from the tension in the players bodies, they didn't like the way they were being spoken to.

Draco had told her they were the best in the world, having each been hand picked for the team. From this, she got the idea that it would annoy them to no end to be hounded like that by a new coach.

Her cell phone began to ring in her bag. Draco had seemed sceptical about her buying one at first, but she had insisted that their muggle business partners needed to contact her and there was hardly a person without one in these times.

In the end he had given up trying to make sense of the object and moved on to talking about the Manor's redecoration.

"Hello?" She answered it, keeping an eye on the players below.

"Miss Granger?" A cool female voice asked.

"Yes. How can I help you?"

"It's Lora Hearn."

Hermione instantly perked up "Of course, how are you?"

"Fine thank you. I was wondering when you would be free for a meeting?" Lora seemed rather uninterested and Hermione knew she didn't like the deal with Draco, who intimidated her, but higher authorities were interested.

"Yes, I'm free anytime tomorrow if you wish." Hermione offered.

"Perhaps you can swing by my office at ten?"

"Of course, I look forward to seeing you then."

"Likewise, good bye." She hung up.

When she turned back to the pitch the players were once again in the air but the air of hostility did not lessen.

Draco flew by, his eyes on the field but she could tell his attention was on her. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," she answered "Are you? It seems a little tense."

Draco chuckled without humour. "That is an understatement if I ever heard one."

"Did you say something?"

His head whipped around sharply, his silver eyes glittering, "You think _I_ caused this? You're saying it's my fault?"

Hermione sensed her mistake "No, I just-"

"Thought I had said something incredibly rude to test the temper of my new team mates, because that's just what I do isn't it? You know me too well Granger." His voice was venomous and Hermione almost winced at the use of her last name which sounded so harsh now.

"Draco, you know that's-"

"Don't bother with the sweet talk." And before she could say another word in her defence, he had flown off.

She realised she was wrong to think Draco had caused the tension between the players and that in reality, she had no case against his accusations.

"_You will never understand me Granger, because you don't want to."_ His words from the first day they spent together came rushing back.

After all this time, had she really gotten no closer to understanding him? If she had, maybe she wouldn't have made such a rash decision as to think he had caused all the trouble within the team.

She knew this was something little, but the meaning behind it was so much bigger. He changed for her, took her out and gave her flowers. She smiled at the memory.

She hadn't changed, she hadn't given up her old opinion of Draco Malfoy. This realisation made it feel like the giant steps they had taken over the last few months had been in the completely wrong direction.

'Lets start again.' She thought softly.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Ok, I have done more setting up, please let me know your ideas, I welcome them all.

Also, I think it would be fun for you guys to guess what's going to happen! I've dropped so many hints and some are misleading! Don't be afraid to guess!

Thanks to my friend Jo who is just so great and also Shelly, thanks for your confidence!

Please drop in a review!


	16. Rushing Forward

I hope you guys read the message for all my readers on my profile. And if not, well I just said that I wasn't willing to jeopardise the quality of my story because I was trying to put up chapters quickly so please bear with me. School is going to take up a lot of my time.

**A/N:** there is a little language in this chapter but I wouldn't think it is anything to be seriously concerned about. If you're uncomfortable about it, it's only a very small section so you can skim over it and still read. Thought I should put this in just to be safe.

Thank you so much for your reviews, they make me feel more and more confident about my fic! Thanks!

So here is the next chapter.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

"Draco!" Hermione tried to reach him as the team separated at the end of practice. She felt bad about her earlier misconception. "Wait! Draco!" She bumped into one of the players who had large arms and quickly apologised before moving on.

The tall blonde head simply ignored her attempts to get his attention and continued walking down the corridor. Hermione broke into a jog "Draco! Can you just – ouch!"

She collided with another body again. This time she had bounced back some how and hit the wall. Rubbing her head she looked up. Before her was one of the tallest and widest quiddich players she had ever seen; he was simply the biggest human she had ever seen. How he kept himself on a broom stick, she had no idea.

"You'll be Malfoy's girl eh?" His voice was low and she heard a strong American accent in his throat.

"Yes, I believe I am. Please excuse me." She made to move past him but he blocked her.

"Quite a rude little thing aren't you?" His smile seemed more like a smirk now and Hermione cursed herself when she realised she didn't have her wand with her. After so many years of auror training and fighting during the war, how could she forget her wand? 'Stupid, stupid, stupid.' She thought angrily.

"Who are you?" She demanded, trying to look imposing, but that didn't always work out; especially if your opponent is standing over a foot taller than you and is probably wider than two of you put together.

He laughed "No wonder he likes you, quite feisty."

Hermione wished so badly she had her wand with her. She moved to the side again but he stood in her way. "You don't know who I am do you?" He asked her in a slightly dangerous voice.

"You're a man who is about to get out of my way." Hermione replied, a fiery glint in her eye.

He seemed amused by this. "I am? Why is that? Because you're _Mr Malfoy's _little mistress?"

"I am not his mistress!" She retorted angrily "Get out of my way!"

"You should learn some manners, Malfoy has obviously been treating you far too well." He smirked and reached for her arm. She pulled it back and slapped his face.

He seemed momentarily stunned by her actions, but it didn't take long for the red flush of anger to appear. "You little wrench!" He roared and lunged for her.

She jumped out of the way and quickly glanced around, the large figure behind her slammed into the wall. She moved to the side but he managed to grab her wrist and she tumbled to the floor.

"Let go of me!" She yelled, fearing how she was going to escape without her wand. She saw a flash of his malevolent grin and tried to pry his fingers off but it did no good.

With all the sounds of commotion the other players peered out into the corridor. Their eyes widened at the scene before them, but the only thing Hermione saw was a tall body and flash of blonde moving forward with unnatural speed. Before she could comprehend what had happened, the American man was on the floor a few feet away.

Draco pulled her up and held her close. It wasn't until then that she realised she was shaking. Her hands were trembling.

"Are you alright?" He whispered to her.

She nodded slowly, not looking to the American or up at Draco, simply relieved she had escaped unscathed.

"Keep your bitch on a leash." A harsh voice growled.

"You better watch your tongue or I'll hex it off." Draco retorted coolly, his grey eyes glittering with barely suppressed fury.

The man stalked past, glaring at Draco. Hermione looked up at him, refusing to show her fear and shock.

When he had gone into the changing room Draco stepped back and seemed to inspect her for a moment. "Did he hurt you?"

Hermione could tell he was very angry, it touched her; he cared. "No." she answered softly.

They stood looking at each other, after a while Draco pulled her into an embrace again "I'm glad you're alright." He said quietly.

Hermione glanced up at him, she had never seen such a look in his eyes; the softness was most unlike his usual self. "I'm sorry about before." She met his gaze easily.

"I… Well it's alright." He replied, shifting slightly. She could sense his discomfort.

She reached up and kissed his lips lightly. "Thank you."

The warmth in his eyes was enough to let Hermione know they were once again on track.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy, such a pleasure to meet you." Lora breezed through the door, a fake smile plastered to her face. Hermione didn't mind because she knew that an equally sweet smile was on her own lips.

"Likewise, I'm sure. Shall we get started?" Hermione inclined her head slightly. Draco smiled but otherwise left the talking to Hermione.

Lora turned and led them briskly to her office. It was large and contained a dark wooden desk in front of a large window. Outside, the streets bustled and cars inched forward as the traffic intensified.

"Now I hear you are interested in buying out our branch in the city?" Lora began.

Hermione smiled falsely "Yes, we are very interested. When we last met you expressed a concern with the value of the purchase?"

Lora sat down and clasped her hands together loosely looking at each of them in turn. "Yes, I believe that is something we need to discuss, to make an acquisition of this sort requires much thought Miss Granger."

Draco's eyebrows rose slightly at her implications, he had never met anyone before who dared to question a Malfoy's credibility to make any payment, then again, his name wasn't known in the muggle world.

Hermione was slightly annoyed that this woman thought they had not fully researched their situation "Let me assure you, will be able to finance this purchase."

"Oh Miss Granger," Lora instantly looked much more alert and pleased to be talking to Hermione "you have solved all possible problems then haven't you?"

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Harry called another meeting a few days later to which Hermione and Draco grudgingly attended. They hadn't yet met with Ron or Pansy to discuss their 'engagement' and both knew that was what this meeting was all about.

Hermione had been occupied with moving into the Manor. After their make-up, they had decided it was time to take things more seriously.

Draco had insisted that they move into the Manor together and begin the re-decoration process. He knew it would keep Hermione occupied for while and save her from the boredom he sometimes saw her experience in the apartment.

"What are you doing Draco?" Hermione asked, bewildered when she saw him sitting up in bed beside her, pressing random keys of her Cell Phone.

He glanced down at her "Good morning."

She sat up slowly as he returned his attention to her phone. "What are you doing?" She repeated.

"Wondering how this worked." He said quietly, his gaze intense and a small frown creasing his brow.

Hermione found this incredibly fascinating, he had shown slight interest before but never seemed very keen to go near any muggle equipment.

"What's this?" She gasped dramatically "A Malfoy willing to risk muggle contamination?"

His cheeks went slightly pink and he tried to scowl at her "No need to be melodramatic."

Hermione laughed "What have you figured out?" She peered over his arm at the screen.

It was a modern Cell Phone with many functions that Hermione herself found were unnecessary. She saw he had taken a picture of the window and was frowning at it.

"What's wrong?"

He looked to her "Why doesn't it move?" A thoroughly perplexed look crossed his face.

She felt such warmth then, like nothing she knew before, a feeling of wholeness spread throughout her entire being. He was looking down at her, his face open and soft, unlike the once cold, sharp face she had known.

His inner mind had changed so much since they had met, she had seen a yet undiscovered side of him and she liked it very much. This Draco Malfoy was someone who cared and had moral.

The smiled that formed on her lips couldn't have been stopped by any force that existed in the universe.

"Muggle pictures don't move." She explained, grinning like someone who had just won the lottery.

'I have won the lottery, haven't I?' She thought joyfully.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

"You need to give things time to develop and get better." Harry was lounging at the Leaky Cauldron with Ron while they waited for the others to arrive.

The tall red head sat back though he was anything but relaxed. "How can things get better?"

Harry had been planning many things over the last year and was putting into action several parts of his Post-War Relations plan. It was coming along nicely but his friends were proving hard to convince.

"She was good enough to join us; you should give her a chance." He encouraged, drinking from his large mug of butterbeer.

Ron seemed incredulous but didn't get to say anything because just then, the woman in question breezed into the room.

She was of average height and had short dark hair, her eyes were a dull green-brown and her gaze was directed on the two men as she clopped over in her heels to their corner.

"Pansy, have a seat." Harry extended his welcome but only received a glare in return. She was making it painfully obvious that she didn't want to be here, but had no choice.

"This better not take long Potter." She snapped, not bothering to acknowledge Ron's presence.

"You know," Harry smiled pleasantly "I always thought you were a good actress."

"What would you know?" Pansy retorted, clutching her bag as though it was her comfort in this dark room.

Ron snorted behind his cup and Harry kicked him "You need to stop being a snobby, spoilt brat for now and start playing your part." His green eyes now glinting slightly.

Pansy met his gaze but after a moment could not hold it and looked away. Nothing more was said until Draco and Hermione walked in.

Immediately Pansy brightened at seeing Draco who she still firmly believed was her soul-mate. Harry watched with interest however as her face dropped to the floor when Hermione followed, linked to his arm.

They stood in the doorway, dusting themselves off before spotting Harry and Ron who were waving, and making their way through the dim crowd.

"You're making them stay together aren't you?" Pansy hissed venomously.

"No," Harry shifted over slightly "they are quite happy being together without my interference."

"Ron, Harry!" Hermione hugged Harry as she sat next to him and leaned over to peck Ron's cheek.

Pansy had moved over slightly just as Draco passed her chair, hinting that she wanted him to sit next to her but he moved to Hermione's side as though he hadn't noticed.

"Pansy, how nice to see you." Hermione offered a friendly smile.

"Nice?" Pansy sat back and said no more.

If Draco felt any discomfort at being in Pansy's company, he didn't show it, merely relaxing and gazing at Harry. "Been busy have you?"

The dark haired wizard turned to face him, "Yeah, quite."

"You missed training." Draco commented casually.

Hermione was having a quiet conversation to Ron over Harry and Pansy continued to sit, sulking.

"Yes, I know." Harry admitted, smiling sheepishly "I had business to deal with. How was it?"

Draco considered telling him about the argument he and Hermione had, it was the main thing that concerned him when he thought about that day. But he and Potter were not yet good friends.

"It was tense. The Keeper, some American player; one attitude problem with legs." Draco informed him, matter-of-factly.

Harry raised an eyebrow "American? Who was he?"

"Seen him once or twice on a few posters, don't really remember his name." Draco shrugged, sparing a glance at the pouting Pansy before returning his gaze to Harry.

Meanwhile, Hermione was trying to convince Ron that the world would not end because he was with Pansy.

"It'll be fine, just give it some time." She reassured.

"That's what everyone keeps telling me, but I have a life and I…" He trailed off looking uncomfortable.

"What? You what?" Hermione asked, curious.

Ron shook his head " No, nothing."

She frowned "Tell me Ron."

Ron glanced around and seemed to be fighting an inner battle as whether or not to tell her. Finally he seemed to slump forward ever so slightly, indicating he was going to tell her. "I…Well you could say…" His ears began to turn pink.

"Yes?" Hermione urged.

"I am…I like someone else." He blurted.

Hermione's eyes widened. "You do? Who is it?"

"Oh Hermione, that's not the point!" He whispered harshly.

Before Hermione could answer a shadow fell across their table; Cho had arrived.

"Cho, come sit down." Harry offered a seat opposite him.

"Nice to see you." Cho smiled as she seated herself next to Pansy who shifted her chair away slightly.

Hermione sat up, looking at Harry who had been cautiously courting Cho for a few months now. He seemed at ease, which was a good sign.

"So shall we get started?" He asked.

Pansy sniffed slightly as though about to protest but before she could, Cho spoke. "Is this about Ron?"

Ron's face went pink to match his ears.

"It is, about Ron and Pansy." Harry emphasised her name, bringing her back into the conversation.

"I refuse." She stated simply.

"You shouldn't make such hasty decisions." Draco said calmly.

She stared at him in surprise. "Are you telling me I would enjoy being with…him?"

Draco looked at her coolly "I didn't say that."

"Then-"

"It is not what the media expects." Cho interrupted. Pansy seemed affronted at being cut off but said nothing.

Harry nodded "That's just it; we need to show everyone that unity is not impossible."

"Must we?" Ron croaked.

Hermione considered what he had told her. When Harry had set her up with Draco she hadn't been involved with anyone, so in some ways it meant it wasn't a problem. But Ron wanted someone else, it would be wrong to deprive him of something he so rightly deserved.

If Harry knew, he wouldn't force Ron into it so he had obviously not yet confided in him.

"I think it shouldn't go through." She announced.

Everyone turned to her in shock. "You don't?" Cho and Harry asked simultaneously.

"No." She shook her head, noticing Ron was wearing a worried expression.

Draco seemed just as at loss as everyone else and Pansy was eyeing her suspiciously.

"What are you on about Hermione?" Harry raised his eyebrows so far it appeared his untidy fringe had eaten them.

She looked around "I think that this isn't a good idea."

Pansy smirked at her "Want him to yourself Granger?"

"Watch yourself Parkinson." Draco growled in a low tone.

Hermione placed a hand on his arm which made Pansy's eye's widen "No, I just don't think its going to work out."

Silence enveloped the circle.

After a while, Cho smiled hesitantly "Well I'm sure you have a very good reason for your view Hermione."

Glad that someone had broken the tension Hermione returned her smile "I do." But she offered no elaboration.

"Well?" Pansy snapped.

Draco sat back, placing a blank expression in place.

"I have my reasons Parkinson and they don't concern you. I thought you would be happy to get out of this." She turned on Pansy who appeared unfazed.

"Then we're finished?"

Harry looked from Cho to Hermione, at loss. Ron was slightly pink but looked somewhat hopeful. Finally he nodded "We're finished, you may be needed later Pansy, don't think your obligations to us have ended."

Pansy threw him a glare and left without another word.

"She's quite a character, I'm sure you're glad you don't have to live with her." Draco began, offering Ron another token of friendship.

Ron seemed thrown off balance by recent events and was even more confused by Draco's open nature. He said nothing in reply.

"Why did you say that Hermione?" Harry asked, leaning forward on the table.

Hermione glanced at Ron who nodded ever so slightly she was sure she was mistaken, but her conscious told her he didn't mind her telling.

"Because Ron doesn't want it." She said softly.

"But he could have-"

"He is after someone else at the moment." She interrupted.

Harry was shocked but quickly hid it and turned on Ron "Who is it?"

"Uh…" Ron was scarlet and seemed incapable of producing an audible sentence.

"When did you know about this?" Harry demanded, looked sharply at Hermione.

"Just now." She replied honestly.

Draco was observing quietly, but Ron's anxious glances at Hermione did not escape his gaze. And he saw Weasley's discomfort with where the conversation was leading.

"So, who is it Ron?" Cho asked gently.

Ron seemed at loss, not knowing what to do he glanced at Harry who seemed just as expectant. Then a pair of grey eyes locked gazes with him, he didn't go looking for Malfoy's attention but somehow he had come here; glued to the blonde's fierce eyes.

"If he doesn't want to say then don't force him." Hermione said, sensing his unease.

He was eternally grateful to Hermione for saving him but he could not ignore the burning in the side of his face that told him Malfoy was still eyeing him.

"Well, if you really feel that way Ron." Harry relented unwillingly.

"What else is there to discuss?" Cho enquired, ever her polite self.

"The wedding." Draco's words came as a surprise to everyone else.

"What wedding?" Ron questioned, leaning forward onto the table.

Draco realised what he had just said and wondered if he could take it back, even Hermione appeared confused and little worried.

"Who else is getting married?" He replied instead, deciding that it was now or never.

"You? You and Hermione?" Ron was incredulous.

Draco inclined his head slightly "Yes, our wedding Ron."

No one missed that it was indeed the first time Draco had ever addressed Ron by his first name. Indeed it sounded odd but it was a sign of friendship if there ever was one.

"_Our_ wedding?" Hermione wasn't angry, of confused, she was stunned.

He met her eyes, "Yes, aren't we getting married?"

"Well…I didn't….It's not that…." She trailed off feeling foolish and wanting to think about it when her head was clear.

"You don't?" he questioned, hiding his fear that she wouldn't. When did this start meaning so much to him anyway?

Harry ran a hand through his unruly black hair "You are really getting married?"

"Wasn't that part of your plan?" Draco turned his cool gaze on Harry who appeared perplexed.

"Well yes, it was, but you are serious about this?" His question was aimed at Hermione who was still looking at him strangely, but he answered anyway.

"Yes, I'm dead serious Potter."

Around them the customers of the Leaky Cauldron moved about restlessly, shuffling of cloaks and heavy boots echoed around the murky area. But all this activity was going on around the cloud of tense silence that had fallen around the group.

Hermione wasn't looking at Draco anymore, she was staring straight ahead, though she wasn't seeing anything that was inside the pub. Harry would not let his gaze wander from Draco's who held his green eyes firm with his own silver orbs.

Ron and Cho were simply sitting, surprised, not knowing what to do now.

"I'm quite serious too." Hermione whispered.

"Merlin help us." Ron muttered.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

That was quite a long chapter! I hope you enjoyed it. Yes I originally was going to go through with the Ron-Pansy thing but I don't really know much about that pairing so yeah, I thought I should eliminate it.

Oh now that's scandalous! Who does Ron fancy? Dun dun dun! Ha, ha, guess! I'd love to hear what you think.

I shall update when I can, hope you read my message about updates at the top or in my bio.

Thanks once again for all those who have reviewed, please review again!


	17. Mutual Trust

I'm glad you guys liked the ending of Ron-Pansy and you're guesses are quite good! I'm excited to start this new chapter. If I've made any other mistakes, please don't hesitate to point them out as Obnoxiously Peachy Twit 2008 so thankfully did for me!

Thank you so much for your reviews! I really love reading them.

Here is the next chapter.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

After a long uncomfortable silence, Cho announced that her, Ron and Harry should go or they would be late for a meeting with the Minister of Magic.

Hermione waved goodbye, but wished they were sitting with her. The discomfort and unease that sizzled in the air between her and Draco was unbearable.

She didn't know if he was looking at her or not because she was afraid of what would happen if she met his silvery gaze. His admission had been firm; he had meant what he said. But did she?

It came as a shock when she realised she didn't mind the idea of spending her life with Draco, she had said she was in for a marriage. And yet, a million arguments erupted in her head the moment she began to consider it.

Her _entire_ life? They had only been together a few months and they had already encountered more drama than some people did in their whole lifetime. The media, their arguments; their differences.

That was what held them back before, so did that mean they had put aside differences? Is that why they were getting along? Or perhaps they had changed.

He had changed. She had no question inside her about that.

But had she changed? Would she put her past behind her for the sake of the man beside her?

"You shouldn't feel obligated to marry me." Draco spoke, his tone impossible to read.

Hermione found that she had nothing to say. She could not convey her feelings to him in simple words; it would have been ridiculous to try.

He took her long silence as an admission that she had made a mistake; he had begun to think it must indeed be too much to hope for. "We should go."

She turned to him then, taking in his slightly melancholy expression. He was seated in what appeared to be a casual position on a large chair, but his eyes and mouth; hidden from the public, were anything but.

She saw disappointment there, regret mixed with embarrassment. "Where?" She found herself asking.

"Home."

'Home' she thought. The word echoed in her head, it was _their_ home; they were living in a giant Manor together. He had given her the task of re-decorating it. If he hadn't meant to marry her then, was he simply planning on changing everything back when they had separated?

No. He knew, he knew a long time ago he wanted this. Why hadn't she?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"That was interesting." Cho commented when they had left the stuffy vicinity of the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry couldn't agree more. "Yes, I don't think Hermione knew that one was coming."

"He said he was serious about it though." Cho added, stepping out onto the street.

Ron was walking along side them, thinking "Do you think Hermione was serious?"

Cho and Harry frowned simultaneously. "Maybe she is, we don't know what Draco is like when they are alone."

"That's true." Harry nodded, glancing up at Ron. "Do you think she is?"

"It's hard to say; a few months back she would have been glad to hex him into oblivion, now she can't seem to pull herself from his side." Ron shrugged.

Harry chuckled slightly "I'm sure we all had our times when we passed the time by thinking of every possible way to kill Malfoy."

"You know, maybe Hermione isn't." Cho broke through the conversation suddenly.

Harry looked to her sharply "Why not?"

"Well there was that guy she used to see, remember him?"

Ron nodded, feeling a hint of anger at the memory "He was a right bastard, that one."

"What about him?" Harry asked as they walked down the street and out into muggle London.

Cho raised her eyebrows "It's obvious isn't it?"

"No." Ron stated simply.

Cho sighed, "She's got to be feeling wary after him, he didn't exactly treat her as respectfully as we hoped."

"That's an understatement." Ron muttered but the other two heard him clearly.

"I just think that the worst thing Draco could do is try to push her into this." Cho finished.

"He won't." Harry assured her, knowing that he would stand up to Draco if he was forcing Hermione to marry him. 'I'm such a damn hypocrite.' He thought with a bitter laugh.

"Well that's what I think anyway." Cho glanced at her watch "We better hurry." They set off to the ministry together, thoughts of Hermione and Draco always present.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Would Miss Granger like anything to drink?" Bea asked squeakily. She was a short, stumpy house elf that had been in the service of the Malfoy's for many years.

"No thank you, you may go." Hermione waved her hand carelessly at the door and watched to elf scuttle out of the room.

Since they had returned, Draco had been in his study and hadn't come out. She didn't know what he was doing in there and wasn't particularly interested in finding out.

A lot of confusing emotions were whirling through her head and she needed this time to sort them out.

Scepticism. She knew Draco was a changed man, he was capable of caring and following morals, but was he ready for ultimate dedication to her? A part of her worried about his commitment to her; his reliability.

She was yet a young woman, she had a life to live and so many things she wanted to do; was marriage something she really wanted? Maybe later.

Or now. What was so wrong with now? She had always thought she would marry a man she had fallen in love with straight away, but things don't always go the way you want them to.

Which led her to think that their marriage may not be as sweet and nice as Draco imagined it to be. They had only been going out for a few months; it seemed like such a hasty decision now she thought about it clearly.

"Draco?" Hermione knocked gently on his study door, wondering if he was still awake at this late hour.

"Yes, come in." She heard him say calmly.

When she entered and closed the door behind her, she could feel the warmth of the fire behind her and it surprised her.

'Another reason why this is a bad idea.' She thought. Draco was always associated with ice and coldness; she couldn't be a good wife or even fiancé if she still thought of him as a cruel, cold being.

"Hermione?" He was sitting on a large armchair, a book in his hand.

"Yes." She went to join him, feeling that perhaps she should have lit a fire in the lounge.

"Are you alright?" He inquired, drawing his eyebrows together as he looked at her.

She nodded "Yes, I'm quite fine."

They looked at each other for a while, taking in the bouquet of emotions that had fallen between them since that conversation.

"About the marriage," Hermione began slowly "I think you should know that I agree it is part of us."

"You want to get married then?" He questioned, as though puzzled.

"No." His face fell, despite all the efforts he put into hiding it, Hermione could see everything. "It's not that I don't feel anything for you, Draco." She reassured.

"Of course." His voice had become more distant.

"I just think," Hermione ploughed on, knowing she would soon lose her nerve "that we aren't ready for that yet. Maybe later on, when we have been together longer and know each other better."

Draco sat, motionless. She expected disappointment and perhaps humiliation at being rejected as such. But that wasn't what she got; he gave her nothing.

The thought ringed in her head, bringing back memories she had tried to forget. 'No, he has given me so much.' She said harshly to herself.

"You're right." Draco's voice broke through her thoughts. He had agreed and was to some extent smiling at her.

"I am?" She blurted in shock.

He gave her a quizzical look "Yeah, it is quite fast isn't it?"

They paused, the tension was easing but Hermione still found that she felt as though she had let herself down. Was she just being over-cautious? No, she was making the right decision, she thought firmly.

"Yeah…Do you want some dinner?" She asked, looking around to the door where a house elf rushed past, no doubt to finish off a task it forgot to do.

Draco closed his book and smiled "Yes, I'm quite hungry."

He linked arms with her, leading her out to the dining room where their gourmet dinner was waiting.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

_Draco,_

_It's Harry, I wanted to talk to you about Malfoy Inc. I've been hearing a lot of rumours about it's financial position lately and thought we should discuss it. Of course I don't expect you to tell me every little detail, I just want to know that things are progressing._

_I've stressed before the importance of keeping the business alive and hope you're dealing with everything alright._

_Owl me back to let me know when you're free._

_Harry_

Draco breathed out loudly; it was only a matter of time before someone leaked. He had been expecting it but that didn't make it any easier to accept.

Hermione had been pursing the opening of Malfoy Communications with determination and had successfully closed off the deal, giving them sole ownership of the land and business operations.

Glad that he had something to tell Potter rather than "Yes I'm getting on to that".

_Potter,_

_I am free tomorrow, perhaps we should share a dinner with Hermione and you can invite Chang, I know you are after her; it's painfully obvious._

_We shall see you tomorrow then._

_Draco_

He didn't know why he couldn't call Harry by his first name. It seemed so strange, though calling Weasley "Ron" hadn't been exactly natural instinct. Making amends with Ron was much easier than extending his hand of friendship with Potter.

"Draco? What's that?" Hermione asked, entering the room.

Since moving into the Manor, both had remained in wizarding robes and Draco had painstakingly taken her to every shop he knew that sold robes. She had picked a wide variety of colours and styles, revelling in what she called "a new breed of shopping".

Today she wore a navy blue robe with black trim. "You look nice." He found the compliment rolling off his tongue rather easily.

She smiled "It's nice isn't it?" she turned around casting him a playful grin.

"We're going to dinner with Potter and maybe Chang tomorrow." He announced, sending Gabrielle off out the window.

"Oh? What for?" Hermione stepped closer to him and reached for Harry's letter.

He let her read it while pacing the length of the drawing room. "When will you start re-decorating?"

She looked up frowning slightly "I don't know, when the business is all set up I suppose. I have been thinking about it though." She added slyly.

Draco tilted his head in question "Really?"

"Yes, I was thinking about out room," She began stepping closer to him "it's rather dark and quite imposing."

"I remembering it being nothing less." Draco admitted wryly.

She laughed "Yes, well I thought we should lose the dark curtains and hang maybe crème or off-white drapes. What do you think?"

"Crème? You think it will suit the room?" He flicked his wand and lit the fire.

"Yes, I think it will, I have plans for the rest of the room of course." Hermione leaned in and wrapped her arms around his waist; he automatically found his arms circling her frame.

The muffled sounds of house elves cleaning could just be heard over the soft crackling of the logs in the fire. Outside, a few birds twittered as they flew past the open window.

"Do you ever think about the war?" Hermione whispered, her cheek resting on his chest as she stared into the fire.

Draco stiffened slightly "I try not to."

Hermione asked no more and they fell into a comfortable silence.

After a while Hermione spoke again, softly, her voice barely audible over the crackling flames, "If it wasn't for the war, you wouldn't be here with me."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Harry?" Cho starred at the fire place where a slightly dishevelled Harry had just Flooed in. He was brushing dust of his robes as he smiled at her.

"Yes, I was wondering if you had a moment."

She nodded "Yes, sure. Come in."

He stepped out of the fire place and sat down on the couch, not feeling a hint of the awkwardness he felt when he first had a crush on Cho.

"We've been invited to dinner." He said.

"With who?" Cho conjured a tray of drinks and scones on the coffee table.

Harry took a cup gratefully "Draco and Hermione."

Cho glanced up "Is everything alright with them?"

"Yeah, I think things are going really well actually. We're going to talk about Malfoy Inc."

"Oh." Cho nodded and took a bite of her scone. "I heard some things about that, luckily it hasn't reached the Prophet yet."

Harry had to agree "It would cause such uproar."

Cho smiled "You like him now don't you? He's changed."

"Yes he has, I don't know if I would trust him with my life, but he's not half bad." Harry confessed gently.

Cho looked at him carefully "It's good that you can forgive him."

"I don't." Harry replied shortly "That doesn't mean I don't think he's changed for the better."

She drank from her cup, all the while looking at him closely "None of us will ever forgive him."

He was about to agree when a thought occurred to him, "Hermione might."

Well that's all from me for now, I hope you've enjoyed it!

Draco is proving hard to develop, I don't want to change him too fast. Do you agree with me? Or do you think I'm going too slow?

Thanks for your reviews, they're really helpful. Don't stop now!

Thank you so much!


	18. Malfoy World Teeters

Hey great reviews! Thanks so much.

I don't really have much to say, so here is the next chapter.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

By the time Draco and Hermione left for the restaurant the following evening, he was barely able so suppress his anger.

The Daily Prophet had published an article on the front cover of the morning's edition

_**Malfoy High: The Crumbling Truth**_

_Over recent months, Mr Draco Malfoy has opened to the public his engagement to successful auror, Hermione Granger. They have shown that although their alliance may be strange, they are indeed happy with their relationship._

_It has been a rocky road for the newly engaged couple, with rumours of Mr Malfoy allegedly attacking Miss Granger and of course their live radio interview displaying a high placement of money in their lives. Recently, Mr Malfoy was selected as seeker for the Worldwide Quiddich Society's new international team._

_It has been found however, that Mr Malfoy's company, Malfoy Inc. has fallen into disrepair since the war. Previously the company had dealt with the importing and exporting of objects relating to the dark arts. Now after the war, it appears not many people wish to associate with the company._

_Malfoy Inc. is nearing its end in many perspectives and it would take a miracle to raise if from it's near bankrupt state at this moment. Although it has been boasted that Mr Malfoy himself is worth over 500 000 000 Galleons, he appears to be blocking off funds to his own business. This could be a result of the war, where Mr Malfoy has sworn allegiance to Harry Potter and so may also wish not to associate with such a dark corner of his past._

_For now it appears Malfoy Inc. will soon no longer be a common house hold name._

"We've had a 'rocky road'?" He scowled, throwing the paper down on the table.

Hermione was frowning "I guess so, but I didn't really know it was bankrupt."

"It's not!" Draco snapped, now steaming. "It's low on funds; that doesn't mean it's bankrupt!"

"I know." Hermione replied quickly "I think they're taking a chance to peek at our relationship too."

"Well they can bloody well try!" Draco raised his voice, glaring out the window. "It's not like it makes any difference to me."

Hermione leaned over her plate of breakfast and placed her hand on his, he automatically turned his palm up and wrapped his long slim fingers around hers. "Don't let it get to you, when we come back, they won't know what's hit them."

He tried smiling at her but failed miserably, "I'm going to my study." He said briskly, letting go of her hand and standing.

He had left the room before Hermione could persuade him to eat more of his breakfast.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Draco's anger was obvious by his long, brisk steps and the way his robes snapped when he turned a corner sharply.

Hermione had trouble keeping up with his lengthy strides but knew better than to try and talk to him. So they made their way, in this fashion down the street, past glittering shop windows and crowds of busy muggles.

He was so distracted by his anger that he didn't make a single comment about the fact they were dinning at a muggle restaurant; not even in jest.

When they were inside, Harry rose from the table he occupied with Cho and smiled. "Glad you could make it."

Hermione hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek affectionately. This caused a very uncharacteristic low growl to echo from the depths of Draco's throat, but Hermione appeared to be the only one to notice.

They sat opposite Harry and Cho on a dark wood table, and silence settled.

"So…You wanted to talk?" Hermione began, casually flipping through the menu.

Draco looked directly at Harry then, his eyes cold "Did you know they were going to release that article?"

"No, I knew nothing about it until I read it this morning." Harry answered calmly.

"There is nothing to discuss." Draco said shortly, an air of finality about him.

Cho smiled "Then we can enjoy the dinner, I heard this place had very nice food."

Hermione glanced at Draco who didn't appear to have shaken off his irritation, before turning and smiling her thanks to Cho.

"I'm going to be away, in America for a while." Harry announced.

"Sure you can stand being away for so long Potter?" Draco sneered, becoming once again the school bully he was years ago.

Everyone was startled by his abrupt outburst, but Harry said nothing.

"What would you like to order?" Hermione asked softly.

He turned to look at her and both Harry and Cho could see his anger subside slowly. He seemed to become aware of Hermione's presence and took comfort from it. Harry could see for himself the changes that had taken place in Draco since Hermione had entered his life.

"I haven't decided." He answered, picking up the menu and opening it.

Hermione glanced at Harry who smiled encouragingly and then at Cho who was looking at Draco, an odd expression on her face.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Near the end of their meal, Harry suddenly perked up "Do you know who Ron fancies?"

Hermione felt a tiny twinge of guilt that she hadn't given her other best friend much thought since their last meeting, but now that Harry brought it up, she couldn't deny that she wasn't curious.

"No, I don't."

"Really?" Cho met Hermione's eyes questioningly.

Hermione shook her head "He just told me he was after someone else, but I have no idea who it is."

Harry took another bite of his dinner and seemed to ponder the thought. "I'm surprised he didn't tell me sooner."

"Why would that be?" Draco murmured sarcastically.

Hermione kicked his foot lightly in warning; he looked at her and smirked.

"I haven't heard from him for the last few days, do you think he'll introduce us soon?" Harry continued as though he had not heard.

Hermione sipped her wine delicately and said nothing. She had no idea why Ron had kept this girl a secret for so long, but he would have his reasons and that meant he probably didn't want to tell them just yet.

"You have plans for your company Draco?" Cho asked.

Her sudden change of subject caught everyone off guard, but Draco recovered quickly, placing a mask of cool indifference on his face.

"Yes. I don't know what the Prophet is talking about."

"I read that article this morning, it's the first of many I think." Cho frowned.

"Why would you think that?" Draco purred dangerously, not taking his eyes off the dark haired girl for a single moment.

She didn't meet his gaze however and seemed undeterred by his icy manner "Well I've heard a lot of rumours just today at work. There are a lot of misguided people out there and some of them are most likely sending their information to the Prophet."

"Why though?" Hermione cut in.

Cho was surprised by her question "Well why not? The wizarding community loves a good drama, you and Draco are pretty dramatic. You're enemies for one and you fought against each other in the war, then you're caught having a little bit of physical in your lounge, you're now formally engaged. What better story?" She counted off the points on her fingers and smiled in false brightness.

Hermione felt a sinking sensation in her stomach "Right." She whispered, taking another sip of her wine.

Draco caught Harry's eye "What have you heard about my business?"

"That its doomed really," Harry replied bluntly "people are saying that you're going to have to close it down and then what will you and Hermione live on?"

"Outrageous!" Draco growled, his fingers tapping the table in his frustration.

"It is, but people will believe it." Harry continued.

Hermione sat back "I suppose we should have expected it though."

"Hmm maybe." Cho replied, savouring a mouthful of pasta salad.

A few minutes later, they had all finished and Draco rose, Hermione followed suit.

"We should be going." He said.

"We probably should too, it was nice seeing you." Harry rose and put his napkin on the table.

Hermione smiled "Yes, owl me if you need anything."

Cho smiled at them and waved when they left.

Walking outside, Hermione was hit with a gust of cool night air. "That was nice." She commented, wrapping her cloak tighter around her body.

"Yes, it was rather pleasant." Draco agreed absent-mindedly.

Hermione took his hand out of impulse and was immediately warmed when he intertwined his fingers with hers.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

_**How Far Will Malfoy Go?**_

_There have several members of the high wizarding society who claim that the fall of Malfoy Inc. does not bode well for them._

_It is common knowledge that Lucius Malfoy used bribes, threats and blackmail to get anything he wanted within the government and outside of it as well. Many now question whether his son, Draco Malfoy, will follow suit._

_The long standing company Malfoy Inc. has fallen into disrepair since the new owner, Malfoy junior, joined Harry Potter in the second war and now that the war is over, it seems the company could not be in worse shape._

"_You would be hard-fetched to find any business that has made a come back after so many years of dismal business." A commerce expert from the ministry explained._

_What will become of the great Malfoy empire now? No information can be found as to what Mr Malfoy will do in the future with his countless properties and possessions. And with a new fiancé, he can hardly claim he will cut back on expenses._

_However, the Prophet was told that though it may appear the business is not doing very well, that does not mean that Mr Malfoy himself is short of galleons. Less than a month ago he claimed that he was indeed worth 500 000 000 galleons. If this is so, why has he allowed his family business to fall so badly into disrepair?_

_We can only wonder, for now all we can see is that the once powerful Malfoy empire is crumbling before ours eyes and if the new Malfoy will resort to his father's methods of persuasion to the investors of his business._

"Absolute rubbish!" Draco threw the paper down roughly, his fowl mood resurfacing again.

Hermione rushed out of the bedroom to see what the matter was; upon seeing the paper on the floor a metre away from Draco's desk, she knew what had happened.

She made a beeline for the crumpled Prophet all the while, listening to Draco.

"Total bollocks! How can they come up with trash like that and publish it? Unbelievable, I can bloody well look after my own affairs! Black mail? Threats? You'd think I hadn't changed sides at all!" He stood abruptly and turned to face the large window.

Outside, the immaculate Malfoy gardens were waking up and the sun's rays streamed over the grass, into the room. It created such beauty in a room which had once been so dark.

"I should talk to Ron about this." Hermione was frowning as she read the article. She saw that there were also two other articles relating to Draco's father and the fall of the business further in, though she knew better than to mention these to Draco.

"Why?" Draco snapped, turning to face her, his eyes icy and his lips pursed into a thin line.

"He works at the ministry, maybe he can let us know who is supplying the Prophet with their information." She explained, folding the paper and placing it gently on the desk. "There isn't much we can do though."

Draco breathed deeply "I know. They could stop hounding me for once though."

Hermione had been a dedicated reader of the Prophet once; she read all about the evidence that told the public Draco was fooling them. She believed that he was a traitor and would turn them all in at any moment.

Since he had joined their side, he had been in the paper at least once a month. If it wasn't being a traitor it was the actions of the death eaters and how they must all be Draco's fault. She had believed them; she had taken in every word and felt her loathing and hatred for him grow with each passing day.

Now that she knew the truth, she felt terrible for all those times she had doubted him and hated him for crimes he had not committed. He had been a scapegoat, he took the blame for all death eater activity and every loss their side suffered had been his doing.

"The will stop." She reassured him though she felt a part of her disagreeing.

Draco laughed with dry, bitter humour. "Will they? I don't think so."

An uncomfortable silence stretched between them, broken only by the tapping of a snowy white owl on the window.

Draco strode over and allowed the owl in; it dropped two parchments onto the desk and hooted softly before flying out again.

He picked up one and flicked his wand, sending it into Hermione's lap before sitting down and opening the second one.

She looked down and saw the uneven scrawl of Fred Weasley.

_Hermione,_

_How are things going with Malfoy? We've heard a lot about you two from the prophet but I'll bet ten galleons half of it isn't true._

_We're opening a new joke shop on Diagon Alley and would really like for you to come by, the world knows we need a few more laughs._

_Speaking of business, how is Malfoy Inc.? George and I have heard a couple of things about that too. As you can see there is heaps to catch up on, so owl me and we can catch up sometime._

_Ron's got a new girl, did you know? He's been reluctant to tell you guys but now that his affair with Pansy is over, he will be glad to tell you._

_Fred._

She smiled, she hadn't heard from the twins for a long time during the war and last saw them nearly a year ago. It would be nice for her to go and see their expanding joke shop business that she had tried of vigilantly to stop in 5th year.

"Nice letter is it?" Draco drawled, he was now seated in his large chair and Hermione knew his mood had only darkened after reading his letter.

"Yes, it was." She answered, getting up to stand beside him "And yours?" She could see the identical script of Fred Weasley on his.

Draco pushed his parchment away from him and sighed as he looked up at her. His anger however, seemed to have suddenly disappeared, replace by a weary expression of someone who has simply had enough of life.

"I sometimes wonder if I made the right decision by coming to join Potter." His voice was laced with fatigue that had nothing to do with lack of sleep.

"You did, we all know it." She placed a hand on his shoulder and could feel the tension residing in them.

He gazed down at the deep mahogany desk "Then why do I get no peace? If I had stayed with the Dark Lord then I would be dead and none of this would be happening."

Hermione knelt down suddenly, placing a hand on his cheek so he turned to face her "No, don't say that. You made the right choice and no matter what anyone says, it's true."

She felt that it was essential he know that his choice had been right, no matter what everyone else thought.

He stared at her, his silvery eyes in shadow but she could feel the intensity his gaze on her. "Why do they think I would hurt you?"

She was stunned by the raw emotion that rang in his voice. It was like nothing she had ever heard before. She had seen Harry in the depths of the war, the darkest times, when he had lost so many he cared for; he had been on the verge of a break down. But his voice, his face, had never shown such open hurt than Draco's did now.

Hermione knew she could admire Draco's strength. He had come out, endangered his own life by leaving Voldemort's side and risking rejection from them, but he had done it anyway. He had risked everything he had grown up with just to do what was right. How many times had she thought that? How many times had she wondered how he came to that decision?

But she never felt it, like she did now. He was hurting deep, deep down inside. His solid foundations that had been built since childhood were crumbling, they were falling down around him and he now sat before her, vulnerable and wounded.

"What they think doesn't matter," She whispered, leaning closer to him, trying to make him see "I know that you would never hurt me and I know you are innocent, I know that you deserve every happy moment you experience because of the risk you took." His eyes never left hers and she could feel him absorbing her words "I know; and that's all that counts."

Through the open window, birds chirped and the rustle of leaves flowed in. The sun was streaming in brightly behind Draco's chair; she felt its warmth and hoped he could feel it too.

"Innocent?" He whispered, hardly audible; her only confirmation that he spoke was the slight movement in his lips.

Slowly, with what seemed to be the pains of an aged man, he reached up and took her hand from his cheek. He put it at her side; as though giving it back to her. "I am not deluded enough to believe I am innocent." He said softly, turning his eyes away in shame.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

So how did you like it? It's quite a dark chapter and skimming over it, Draco seems angry throughout this time, but I liked it.

Please tell me what you think!


	19. Ron Likes Who?

Well here is the next chapter, thanks so much for everyone who has reviewed so far!

It's been really busy lately and I haven't had as much time to write. I've put the rating up to T just to be on the safe side, and mostly for the later chapters.

Please begin reading!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

A week after their startling personal encounter in Draco's study, Hermione was sitting in Ron's kitchen frowning at her mug of butter beer.

Draco had been detached and only spoke to her when strictly necessary. He had kept himself either in his study or in one of the many rooms under the house that he had shown her earlier. His study which had been so full of light since they moved in, was now dark and he never seemed to open the curtains anymore.

He had even slept in another room further down the hall. During meal times, she could never find him so she often ate by herself in the huge dining room.

When he did make the rare appearance, she could see he was tired and his steps missed the familiar confident bounce. Every time she tried to ask him if everything was alright, he simply said 'yes' in a monotone and walked out of the room.

"I don't understand what's happened." She explained the situation to Ron who listened closely.

"Well obviously it had something to do with that letter Fred sent him, did you ask him about it when you went to the joke shop?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, I didn't know how to actually." Here she looked away in thought "I didn't know he would be like this."

Ron smiled reassuringly "You should talk to him, I think it would help."

"But he doesn't let me talk!" Hermione burst out, she held her head in her hands and wondered when she had started caring so much.

"Try Hermione, no one is closer to him than you now."

The words rang in her head a few seconds after Ron had said them. He was right; she was the only person he had left really. He had no family, no friends; only her.

She should be there for him, but how? She was sure he had to have some kind of friends but when she thought about it logically, they would only be contacts; acquaintances. Malfoy's had no need for friends didn't they?

"I'll try Ron, but I don't know how things with the business are going to happen if he's not talking to me."

Silence lay between them, the comfortable rest between friends that had existed since they first met at Hogwarts. Hermione felt a longing for those days, when things were easier; there was always someone to help them and guide them if they got it wrong. She knew she was wishing Dumbledore was back, he would help her.

"Who is it you like Ron?" She asked suddenly.

He appeared startled by her question "What?"

"You said you didn't want to be set up with Pansy because you like someone else, who is it?" She asked, drinking deeply as she waited for an answer.

"Uh…" Ron scratched his head and looked away.

"Come on, it's me!" She pestered light-heartedly.

He seemed uncomfortable but opened his mouth to speak anyway "Well…you know during the war…I got to know um…Padma very well."

"Padma? As is Patil?" (**A/N: **forgive me if I have spelt the name wrong, but you know who I'm talking about right?)

Ron nodded slowly "Yeah, I … well I spent a lot of time with her… on my assignment in Scotland." He continued haltingly.

Hermione smiled softly, in what she hoped would be a reassuring way "I'm really happy for you Ron, you should tell everyone else."

He was grinning now, quite relaxed. "I will, she's really nice and I regret treating her so badly at the Yule Ball in 4th year."

Hermione laughed "I remember that like it was yesterday…except it wasn't." her humour died away when she realised that so many people who had shared that happy night of festivities with them were now dead, or seriously injured at St Mungos.

"They are good memories." Ron said, an equally melancholy expression on his face.

"Yes, I think I'll go now. Thanks for having me over."

Ron hugged her "It was a pleasure. Come over anytime you need a talk."

She smiled at him and aparted back to the now dull hallways of the Manor.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Draco was waiting for her when she arrived in their bedroom, though now it seemed to be hers only.

He was wearing an expression of fear and concern mixed with surprise at her arrival.

"Hermione? Where have you been?" She was momentarily stunned speechless.

He had been pointedly ignoring her and avoiding any conversation; here he was now, acting as if nothing had happened.

"I was at Ron's." She said dumbly, wondering if he was feeling alright.

Suddenly she was wrapped in his arms, his robes smooth against her cheek. She could hear his heart beating fast and it made her feel warm inside.

"I thought…" His voice faded as he lifted her chin so their eyes met. In them she could see the worry he had felt; the fear for her safety.

"I had training." He began again, placing a hand on her cheek and trailing down to the base of her neck. "When I came back, I came to check on you; like I always do; and you were gone."

His gaze wavered as he relieved the fear again, racing through the manor, cursing it for being to large. He had curtly ordered all the house elves to search the house with him as they too did not know where she was.

The pacing; he had checked every room twice jus to make sure. But she was no where, fear had gripped his heart like a vice and refused to let go. He felt choked by the possibilities that ran through his head.

Now he had her in his arms, he felt foolish for being so afraid. She was a fully trained auror and didn't need him to protect her like a maiden in distress.

"I'm here now." Hermione breathed, unable to process the intensity of his gaze; the emotions that ran behind them like flitting shadows on a windy spring morning.

"I know." His voice was so soft she could hardly hear it, but she could see the relief in his face.

They stood, in each others arms as though afraid to let go.

Eventually, Hermione stepped away slightly "You always check on me?"

Draco's face was blank now "Yes, all the time."

"Why?" this startling new revelation was a complete surprise to her; she thought he had been keeping as much distance between them as possible.

He turned away and walked slowly to the large window on the other side of the room, all the while talking softly "You think I think about you Hermione; that I just fall in and out of these moods where I care for you and then I don't. But you're wrong."

Hermione sat stiffly on the chair by her dressing table; Draco had spent hundreds of galleons on it when they first moved in. She _had_ thought that sometimes he didn't spare a care for her, she had been wrong about that too?

"You think I deserve this life we have now; but you're wrong…You think I'm innocent; but you're wrong." He turned to face her then, his stare intense.

"You think that the people I killed for the light side were enough to justify the killing of Professor McGonagall; but you're wrong…. And you think I'm doing all these things for the good of the world; but you're wrong about that too." He listed his points simply, as though discussing the weather.

She was speechless and simply sat there, staring at him.

He paused but continued when she said nothing "I care about you Hermione, like no one else in my whole life. You're the light at the end of my tunnel; I know you will stop me from becoming the person I once was."

Outside, it began to rain. On the window she could see splatters of the drizzle as they landed on the glass.

"I wanted to go back to him so many times, I really did; but once I met you, I didn't want to any more. I liked that change Hermione, I did." He nodded slightly, as though convincing himself of it.

"For a while I thought that it would all be alright, that everyone would forgive me and I could start to repay you for the great things you've done to me." He smiled softly at her then, almost absent-mindedly.

"But I was wrong. It didn't stop; the hate owls, the howlers I had to destroy before they exploded and you would hear all the terrible things people said about me."

This startled Hermione, 'hate owls'? Why had she never known?

"I checked on you when we argued last time; I watched you in the park, looking at those children; and I've been checking on you this week. Making sure you're okay and that you're safe."

Hermione felt confused and for some reason, guilty. It seemed like he cared more about her than she did him; that wasn't fair. "Why don't you deserve this life? You've done enough." She uttered the first question that popped into her mind, though there were a million still bouncing in her head.

He faced the rain-splattered window, his shadow was long, it nearly reached where Hermione was sitting; a tall, imposing figure of darkness.

"No one who is still alive knows that extent of what I have done for the Dark Lord." He admitted.

Hermione stood and stepped closer, into the head of the shadow in the now dimly lit room. "But we know what you've done for us, that doesn't all count for nothing."

"No, but it doesn't take away the crimes I have committed." Came that reply.

"We've all committed crimes." She reasoned, stepping closer still.

He shifted slightly, standing up properly, making his shadow longer. "None like mine. If the majority of the other aurors had their way, I wouldn't be alive today."

Hermione frowned "But you are alive, Harry knows and Ron, me, Cho, all of the others know that you came to our side because that was the right thing to do."

Draco turned around then "That's where you're wrong again, that's where everyone is wrong; you think I came to fight with Potter because it was moral and it was right. But I did it for my own selfish reasons." His voice was harsh, nothing like the man she had grown accustomed to of late.

"You cannot ignore that I am a death eater." Just then, a bolt of lightning lit up the sky outside, it cast Draco's physical being into shadow. He resembled the figure she had seen lying across the carpet, dark, quiet and deceiving.

She saw the old Draco then; the dark, malevolent Malfoy who revelled in the killing of the innocent. The man who used his power to force people to do his bidding; she saw the Death Eater she had come to hate.

"No, you're not!" She yelled to him, running and wrapping her arms around his waist.

He was stiff but after a moment, he place his arm around her too. "I was."

She nodded looking down and seeing the beginnings of the mark on his left hand under his sleeve. He was different now, he wasn't that man; that killer.

"You're a better person now, don't think about the past." She told him.

He held her at arms length, each hand on her shoulders. "Don't ignore my past; it's a part of me and always will be."

She nodded sadly "I know, but you need to stop feeling guilty."

He stared at her for a long time, his expression unreadable. Finally he leaned closer and their lips met.

It was a sweet kiss, filled with the tenderness of apology and forgiveness.

When they parted, Draco tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and a true smile graced his lips. "You're beautiful, did you know that?"

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"You want me to go in _there_?" A very flustered Padma Patil gasped when she saw where her boyfriend had brought her.

They were standing outside the gates of Malfoy Manor. A tall, grey stone wall surrounded the property; it stretched further than either of them could see. A black iron gate stood between them and an enormous brick mansion. It was elaborately decorated with intricate Victorian patterns.

The gardens at the front of the house were daunting to any passer-by; there was ancient trees stretching up to the sky, their branches intertwined, making Padma feel claustrophobic and caged in.

"There's nothing to be afraid of." Ron told her, squeezing her hand gently in reassurance.

She glanced at him before returning her gaze to the dark Manor at the end of the long pathway. The cobble stones themselves seemed to be watching her every move and she couldn't help but notice the dark air that hung about the property.

"You want me to willingly walk into the home of the man that tried to kill my family?" She asked incredulously.

Ron rubbed the back of his head, frowning slightly "Well I guess that's a good point, but he's changed now; and Hermione will be there."

Padma looked down the path once again "I can't believe Hermione Granger would live here."

"Well…" Ron glanced up at the Manor and could not deny that it looked terribly imposing and a certain darkness hung around the exterior. "She hasn't gotten around to re-decorating it yet."

Padma still looked doubtful but before she could protest, a silvery wisp erupted from his wand and shot off towards the Manor. They watched it approach the front of the house, drift for a second before shooting off around the corner where they could see it no more.

A minute later, which had been spent in silence, Draco Malfoy aparated before the gate, wearing a slightly grim expression. Ron got the idea that he was using this to hide some other emotion though and guess it was a good one; his eyes weren't as hard as he had seen them before and he was acting relatively polite.

"Weasley, Patil" He bowed ever so slightly in Padma's direction. She said nothing and did not return his gesture. "Come this way."

They followed him through the gates which opened with a wave of his wand. Once they had closed again, he aparated to the front entrance where he gestured for them to follow.

They also aparated down the long cobblestone path to arrive at a huge front door with a gold serpent knocker on it.

Padma was gripping Ron's hand tightly, not bothering to hide her loathing for the man standing before them. "You're here to see Hermione?"

Ron nodded and they followed Draco inside.

Though Padma was certainly intimidated and frightened, she could not ignore the expensive décor of the house. The foyer had wooden floors that didn't make a single sound when you stepped on them and there was a magnificent bronze statue of a snake rearing in the corner.

On the wall was a portrait of the Malfoy family. She shivered as Lucius Malfoy glared down at her and avoided looking at his wife who was so angry she ended up walking out of her frame.

"The guest lounge is right through that door." Draco said, pointing to a large wooden door to their right.

"Thanks." Ron nodded. Draco ascended the staircase with practiced ease and turned left.

Ron led a very reluctant Padma through the oak door and into a large rectangular room. There was a beautiful white fire place and on the mantle was a silver pot which was full with Floo Powder.

By the fire were long red couches that looked uncomfortable so Ron led Padma over to the large window where a slightly more comfortable maroon couch stood. Beside it was a table carved from what appeared to be a large stone, on it lay a book from the shelf which lent on the wall near the door.

They sat down slowly. "This place is so creepy." Padma whispered, as though fearing they would wake the darkness within the house.

"It is a little isn't it?" Ron chuckled, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

Padma only glared "Have you seen the portraits?"

Ron glanced around, there were many portraits displaying the proud Malfoy lineage, pompous wizards and well-dressed witches looking down their noses at them.

Ron also say three paintings evenly spread, lining the wall opposite the window where they sat. The first showed a young boy with platinum blonde hair and a mischievous smirk on his five year old face.

The next one was of the same boy at around ten, he had sharp grey eyes and lost the little cuteness he had as a child. His mouth was set in a stern line and he appeared very angry at the visitors in the room.

Beside him was another portrait of a man, the same light hair and steely grey eyes. But he now he held a malevolent gleam and smirked evilly at them. He was wearing black robes and shot Ron a glare before turning and exiting his frame.

"Malfoy." He whispered.

Padma had also been looking at the three portraits showing the growth of Draco Malfoy; from mildly innocent child to cunning death eater.

"Ron! Padma!" The door burst open to reveal a very happy, very enthusiastic Hermione.

Padma smiled "Hermione, it's so good to see you!" They hugged when Hermione walked over to them.

"So you're Ron's lucky girl!" She exclaimed.

Padma winced slightly at the volume of Hermione's voice "You're not afraid are you?" Hermione asked in slight disbelief.

"She didn't really want to come in." Ron began.

"Oh! Don't worry, you're safe here Padma!" Hermione beamed. "You must be hungry, come on; I'll get Dottie to get you something to eat!"

She flounced out of the room, leaving Ron and Padma in quite a state of shock. Hermione didn't seem to fit the rest of the picture; the dark gate, imposing Manor, terrifying statues and Malfoy's cold manner.

Gingerly, they followed Hermione out and through a hallway by the staircase. She smiled at them and led them to a dinning room. "I'll just get Dottie." She told them, heading further down the hallway.

Padma entered first, seeing Malfoy sitting at the table reading a slim book. She gasped without thinking, causing him to look up.

"Patil, what a pleasant surprise. Please, take a seat." He indicated to the many vacant seats around the long glass-top dinning table.

"How have you been Draco?" Ron asked, feeling the odd sensation that came whenever he used his first name.

Draco put down his book and flicked his wand slightly "Quite well actually." A house elf appeared at his side, it's eyes lowered "Take this back to the library will you? And help Dottie, she is no doubt going to break something else."

The elf nodded and took the book before disappearing with a crack. "And you?"

Ron sat back, trying to appear casual "Yeah, I've been good actually."

Padma was at loss, she felt fear at being in the presence of a Malfoy but also felt angry that he had endangered all their lives and was now sitting in this huge house exchanging pleasantries with a man he had once sought to kill.

"Been avoiding the press?" She said sharply, a mocking tone barely hidden.

Ron shot her a warning look but she paid him no heed.

"Yes actually," Draco smiled slightly "a task that's harder said than done."

Before they could say anything else, Hermione re-entered followed by two house elves who were carrying an assortment of plates and jugs.

"Draco, I didn't know you were in here." She breathed, watching the elves that were busy setting up plates before Ron and Padma.

He accepted a glass from another elf who had appeared when he flicked his wand, still smiling "It's alright, sit down."

Hermione sat next to him, opposite Padma and also accepted a drink from the elf. "When did you get here Padma?" She inquired politely.

She hadn't been blind to the fact that Padma wished she could be in the home of anyone but them, so she tried to be as nice as possible.

"Yesterday, thought I should move back here." Padma answered, casting a glance at Draco who was looking out of the window. It had been because of him and his fellow death eaters that the Patil family had moved to Scotland.

"That's great news." Hermione smiled "Are you living together?"

"Not yet." Ron admitted "But we're thinking about it."

Hermione nodded "Don't rush, good things take time, don't they?" She asked, taking Draco's hand which was resting on the table.

Padma watched with fascination as Draco turned away from his thoughts and smiled at Hermione as if there was no one else in the world. He intertwined their fingers and looked up at them "Yes, they do indeed."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Ron and Padma left shortly before lunch. The latter was certainly much happier after they had eaten and they had progressed to the formal lounge where they talked for hours.

"I think her opinion has changed." Hermione observed when they had gone.

Draco chuckled "Maybe."

Hermione felt his arms creep over her shoulders from behind as she sat on the couch. "She was rather afraid at first, wasn't she?" He breathed into her ear.

"You are quite scary sometimes." Hermione teased, placing a hand on his at her shoulder.

"Mm I guess I can be." He released her and strode up to a painting of his grandfather. A tall, lean blonde haired man with a straight nose and thin lips, his eyes were clear and the colour of the sky on a dull autumn morning; grey with slight traces of blue.

"You know, I think this portrait should go." He thought out loud.

Hermione glanced up "What's wrong with it?" She had seen much worse portraits throughout the house than this one of some old man.

"I think the mudblood is right." A pompous voice sprang from the mans' thin mouth.

"Don't you dare call her that." Draco hissed sharply "She is the Lady of the Manor now."

The man shifted to glare at Hermione "I never thought you would be the one to disgrace us Grandson."

Draco scowled and turned away from his grandfather's painting "You can see why." He mumbled.

Hermione shot the portrait an equally dark glare and followed Draco out of the room.

They went to their room which was the only one without a portrait of relatives glaring down at them and settled themselves comfortably on two arm chairs by a small book shelf.

"We should get started on Malfoy Communications." Hermione told him.

He nodded "Yes, but we should think about the Manor too. And our portrait."

"Our portrait?" She questioned.

"Of course, we have portraits of every other Malfoy, we need one of us." He explained logically.

Hermione thought it was a sweet gesture "You realise-"

"I know we aren't married yet and you're not a Malfoy." He finished for her, smiling. "But I still want a portrait I like to look at in this house."

They laughed together, before she could register what was happening, Hermione felt his lips on hers.

She found that she liked his kisses a lot and savoured the moment of intimacy between them. They had been through so much together; she knew that it wasn't 'if' any more, it was 'when' she would become a Malfoy.

"That portrait sounds like a wonderful idea." She breathed when they parted.

"I knew you would think so." Draco said; his lips still against hers so she could feel his smile.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ta da! Now you know who Draco killed while in Voldemort's service and who Ron likes. Did you like it? I hope so!

Please review and let me know what you think of things so far. ( I really enjoyed describing Malfoy Manor, could you tell? Hehe)

Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed!

MssrBlaze: I know it's not very 'mushy' as you put it, but I'm not very good writing all that stuff, so yeah…if you can offer some assistance there I would be grateful. Thanks for all of your reviews!


	20. He's Been Thinking About It

Well I've encountered some plot bumps but its all good, things will get better! Just keep those reviews coming (hint hint)

Yes I apologise for my spelling error in chapter 18 it is 'foul' not 'fowl'. smiled sheepishly

So please, keep reading! And special thanks to my regular reviewers MssrBlaze, Obnoxiously Peachy Twit 2008, One White Tulip, and of course my good friend Jo!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

"I thought you said muggle pictures don't move." Draco observed, coming into Hermione's study.

She looked up in surprise "Well no, photo's don't." He was wearing his training robes and she could see his broom stick propped up against the wall in the hallway. "Have you got practice?"

"Yeah, I'll be back tonight, Potter's missing a lot of training." He made his way over to Hermione's desk, still looking quizzically at the laptop humming softly before her.

"He's very busy, but he'll be back from America soon enough."

A window popped up on Hermione's screen, startling Draco which caused her to laugh. "It's a laptop." She explained.

"I see…Why do you need it?" He obviously didn't see at all but didn't want to admit it.

Hermione smiled "Advertising; how else do we reach a greater muggle market than through internet advertising?"

It was a rhetorical question but Draco seemed to be trying to think of an answer. "Just go to training before you hurt your head." Hermione teased.

He frowned but had no come back, instead he kissed her gently "I'll be back later."

She waved as he left and shut the door softly behind him.

**Reliability, friendly service and a name you can trust**

**MALFOY COMMUNICATIONS**

**The new way to reach the world!**

Hermione stared at the screen where she was currently trying to develop ads for their company and reel in customers as fast as possible. It was rather ironic that she used the phrase 'a name you can trust' when Malfoy was probably the most untrustworthy name in the entire wizarding community.

Thinking carefully, she continued to type.

_What have you always craved from your phone company? What have you always desired from your internet provider?_

_Friendly, reliable service! Here at Malfoy Communications, we aim to provide our customers with the fastest, safest internet services! We aim to give our customers the best prices for both landline and mobile phone usage._

_Join us and have the world at your fingertips with every communication service available to you from one provider!_

She cringed at the corny ring to her words and wondered if it would work. Finally, after much inner debate and re-reading of her words, she printed out a copy and placed it in a large white envelope.

"Minnie!" She called out to one of the house elves who quickly ran into the room, curtsing deeply "No need for that now." She told the elf, still not used to the bowing and curtsies she received.

"You called miss?" Little Minnie squeaked.

"Yes, can you deliver this to the muggle post office?" She handed the envelope to the elf "Be careful not to be seen now."

The elf nodded and was about to curtsy once more when she remembered what Hermione had just told her and ended up nearly toppling over. Hermione helped her regain her balance and smiled "Run along now Minnie."

Minnie looked grateful and hurried out of the room.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Tension on the pitch had been high since their very first practice together, but now they covered it up expertly. Apparently being too professional to show their distaste obviously.

However, at international level, when you didn't get along with your team mates, you didn't play very well.

"Let's try that _again_." Their coach, Mark was growing increasingly frustrated with their lack of progress but the other players seemed to hung up on their dislike of each other to notice.

Draco kicked off, soaring higher than everyone else and took a quick inventory of their positions. Already American guy had drifted off and was sidling the Australian man, who Draco knew was Anthony.

Anthony was floating higher to get away from him and ended up at Draco's height before the American had to fly off to catch the Quaffle.

"Quite a bugger ain't he?"

Draco laughed, "Yeah, he is quite." They had developed what appeared to be the only friendship between the team, which made Draco feel quite nice inside, though he would never admit it to anyone.

"So I hear you're engaged." Anthony remarked, circling slightly underneath Draco.

Just then, Draco gripped his broom and surged forward before turning a sharp left and pulling his broom to an abrupt halt as a bludger flew past him. Glancing to up he saw one of the other players with dark hair and light eyes smirking at him.

He threw back a glare and made his way back to Anthony who didn't seem phased by what had happened, it was becoming a rather regular occurrence now.

"Yes, I am." Draco answered.

Anthony gave him a crooked grin "Congratulations." And then he flew away to beat a bludger towards their American chaser.

Draco laughed, he was rather enjoying this, and with all their practicing, they would no doubt be able to scare their next opponents into a default.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

As dusk was setting, Draco aparated back into the Manor and revelled in the warmth that welcomed him. Despite it being spring, the nights were rather cool.

"You're back." Hermione came to hug him but pulled away, scrunching her nose slightly "And you smell."

"Nothing should part us, not even the horrors of sweat." Draco proclaimed, mocking hurt and stepping towards her.

She quickly ducked away, a grin on her smooth features "Get washed up and I'll see you for dinner."

Before he could claim his hug or kiss, she disappeared, leaving Draco to do as she bid.

He walked lightly down the hall and noticed how some things had changed, a few pictures had been moved and a statue of an elderly robed wizard which had been sitting in the corner since before Draco's birth, was now gone.

It appeared, Hermione had begun some of her decorating, he found that he was glad. The manor had been in darkness for centuries; it was good to see it looking so much friendlier.

Once he had taken a warm shower, he changed into grey polo shirt and black pants before slipping his robes on and heading downstairs where Hermione waited.

"Smelling better?" She enquired, not looking up from the papers that were strewn across the table before her.

Draco chuckled and leaned down to kiss her cheek "Much better."

Hermione glanced at him "Right. Now," A brisk business-like tone took over her voice as he sat down beside her. "These are some brochures from curtain makers I had delivered."

He looked down, from every page; curtains of every design, colour and outrageous fashion were gently billowing in front of their windows.

"And you want me to look at these, why?" He saw a rather unattractive set of frilly brown drapes that hung at odd angles around the window frame and cringed.

Hermione seemed mildly humoured by his expression "Well, it's your home too; I don't want to pick things you don't like."

He picked up the paper with the brown ones on and threw it to one side, then picked up a few more, murmuring his distaste (much to Hermione's amusement) and also threw them to one side. Once satisfied with the selection before them, he leaned back in his chair. "I'm alright with them."

"Draco?" She asked softly.

"Yes?"

"There are only two left."

Unfortunately she was right. He had only left two different kinds of curtains sitting before them while at least fifty lay on the floor. "Oh." Was all he said.

"Never mind, I'll chose them and trust me, you'll like it." She assured him and cleaned up the mess just as three house elves came to serve them dinner.

"Fetch some wine will you?" Draco ordered to the elf nearest to him.

"How was practice?" Hermione asked, showing some genuine interest as she popped a baked potato in her mouth.

Draco shrugged "It was just like it always was."

"No one got injured did they?" She wondered out loud.

Draco laughed softly "No one that matters."

She frowned at him but soon broke out into gentle chuckles as well "You were always a trouble maker."

"It wasn't my fault." He argued.

Hermione raised an eyebrow in scepticism "Sure it wasn't" Earning a mock glare from the man sitting beside her.

They ate while talking pleasantly; it gave them both a nice feeling to have someone to talk to openly. Draco found it was such a changed from the way he used to keep things inside himself; lock them away for no one to see.

The fact that he had someone that he could talk to and trust was warming; it showed him that times had changed and that maybe he could change to.

"How long have we been together Hermione?" Draco asked suddenly.

She seemed taken aback by his question and had to thing about the answer for a moment "Around six months I guess."

Draco nodded "Hmm yes."

"Why?"

He turned to her "Because I was wondering when I should ask you to marry me."

In was incredible how silence could seem so loud.

Hermione wasn't saying anything, but then again, she didn't need to; the noise inside her head was deafening.

'He wants to marry me?' Was the first coherent thought in her jumbled mind. Flashes of their time together flittered around her head; from the very first day he had slipped into her apartment, smirking slightly till now, when he had just returned home, sweating and grinning at her.

"Wow." Was what she finally said out loud; though it didn't seem to fit the occasion quite well.

Draco smiled and turned back to his dinner as though he had just told her it might rain tomorrow "I was told I should wait at least a year before I ask any woman to marry me."

Hermione was staring now, open-mouthed at his matter-of-fact nature. "You want to marry me?"

"Yeah," He frowned at her, as though worried about her health "I thought I already told you that; didn't I?"

"Um…yes I supposed you did. I just…thought…" She trailed off, remembering the last time Draco had said he was ready to marry her, they were in the Leaky Cauldron and she had …kindly, refused him afterwards.

"You thought I wasn't being serious?" He asked her softly.

"No, I knew you were." She assured him quickly. "But now? It's only been two months since we decided not to get married yet."

"True." The thought seemed to have just occurred to him. "But I'm not going to ask you now; I was just wondering how long I had to go." He finished brightly.

She gaped "What?"

"You look rather a lot like the fish in the library." He chuckled, drinking from the glass of wine one of the elves had brought up for him.

"You're really strange." She stated plainly, giving up on any hope of producing intelligent, fully-formed sentences at that moment.

"I've been told that before; but it didn't sound like a compliment until now." He laughed again. "Relax Hermione, you should eat; you're looking a little pale."

She obediently put another mouthful into her mouth and chewed slowly, mulling over what could possibly have caused Draco's outburst.

"Has it ever occurred to you," Draco began, as though reading her mind "that I love you?"

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

That was a short chapter but I decided to end it on a positive note, unlike the previous two chapters.

Please tell me how you like it. Do you think I've made Draco utter the 'L' word too soon?

Thanks for reviewing!


	21. The Past Always Comes Back to Haunt You

I had major problems getting this chapter out and wrote a couple of drafts which were disposed of…that's the first time that has ever happened in this story.

Hope you like it and thank you so much for your reviews! I love reading them and they really helped motivate me to write this chapter.

And guys? This isn't going to be some kind of fluffy fic or something like that. I know that you guys are looking forward to some 'action' but I don't write that kind of stuff very well so there'll be a little kissing maybe but I'm not going into incredible lengths to produce hard core 'action'. Sorry to people who were expecting it.

For now, let me continue with this story!

**Previously:** "Has it ever occurred to you," Draco began, as though reading her mind "that I love you?"

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The matter of fact tone, the smooth care-free face…she couldn't take that.

He just told her he loved her. He, Draco Malfoy, loved her, Hermione Granger. Wouldn't the press just love that.

Wait, they already heard about that…why hadn't she been told?

'You're going insane.' She thought to herself.

His words had taken her completely off guard; she didn't know what to say or do. Was she supposed to turn and leap into his arms and proclaim her undying love for him?

Like that would ever happen. But she did like him very much; did she love him?

She had been in love once, it had only gotten her hurt because love did strange things with your head. She didn't know if she even _wanted_ to love him.

'Yes you do.' The voice said. Maybe her conscious was right, but that didn't mean she was ready to marry him in six months or declare her devotion to him.

"Why do I always let these things slip out?" Draco muttered to himself, but Hermione heard him clearly.

He pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. "I'll be in my study…if you need me." He told her motionless form before gliding out of the room.

None of this made much sense to her muddled mind. So much had happened in such a short span of time, was it right? Or was it all wrong?

Getting up slowly and warily, she exited the dining room and walked down the long hallway.

Redecoration had begun but it all seemed a little fragile at the moment, everything she looked at seemed easy to break. The paintings hung on just enough to keep them on the wall, but she didn't walk to fast past them in case they should fall.

The very air felt like the smooth surface of a lake; so easily disrupted.

She knocked softly on the large wooden door and waited with her breath held outside, hoping things weren't about to go all wrong.

"Yes?" His voice floated out from behind the door. To her it lacked the usual confidence and strength.

She opened the door slightly, peeking through into the dimly lit room. "It's me."

"Hermione." It wasn't a question but she saw a flicker of surprise flash across his pale features. "I…" the words died on his lips as he realised he did not know what to say.

"Are you getting a feeling of déjà vu?" She asked without really meaning to.

He stared at her for a second, the corners of his mouth twitching "Yeah, a bit." He indicated for her to come in, so she stepped through the threshold and shut the door.

Awkwardness filled the air between them; discomfort.

"Do you need something?" He asked. Immediately he regretted it, it was so insensitive; the formality making him cringe inwardly.

Hermione took a tentative step towards him "I um…" She looked down and away; at his shoes then at the fire which was burning gently. "I was thinking….well, no I haven't." She admitted, flustered and unable to remember a time when she felt so uncomfortable.

He was looking at her, wearing a black and white skirt with a grey top; her fingers twitching ever so slightly. "I used to be able to keep things from people; I'm sorry I couldn't keep that from you."

"I don't think it would have done any good if you kept it to yourself." She told him gently. Only now were things starting to become clearer for her.

Draco sat down and watched her sit in the armchair opposite him. They sat in relative silence, only the crackling of logs and sound of the spring wind outside. The last light of the day had gone and the only light was coming from the fire and a few candles that hovered near Draco's desk.

"Who told you to wait a year?"

He looked up to meet her amber eyes and smiled that was a soft, bitter twitch of his lips. "My father."

Hermione's eyebrows rose, "I never trusted his judgement."

Draco sat back in his chair "I haven't for a long time."

"Then why are you waiting?" Hermione inquired, faking calm but inside, her heart was beating much faster than normal.

A startled expression fixed itself onto Draco's face "What do you mean?"

"Why are you waiting for a year to go by?" She continued, her voice cracking slightly with pent up nerves.

He gazed at her, searchingly "I…" he paused to collect himself, bringing his fingertips together over his lap. "I don't know."

This made Hermione smile, a true genuine smile that lit her eyes so that they glowed like burning coals "There isn't any reason to." She told him.

"No?" he murmured "I guess not." Then a smiled formed on his face too.

"Are you sure then?" Hermione stood and stepped closer to him so that she stood with the fire at her back. It created a warm glow around her and at that moment, Draco thought he would have done anything for the woman before him.

"Yes, I'm quite sure." He laughed, standing up and kissing her.

She was surprised by his boldness but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy the moment in its perfection.

"I think we just placed another thing on our plates." Draco whispered softly into her ear as they embraced.

Hermione laughed "Yes, we're going to be very busy."

"You will be; wedding plans aren't my thing." He smirked, placing another gentle kiss on her lips. "I have Quiddich after all."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"YOU'RE WHAT?" Ginny screamed when Hermione told her the news the next morning.

They were at Ron's house with Harry, Cho and Padma. Ginny's voice caused the other four to come rushing into the kitchen, expressions of concern on their faces.

"What's going on?" Harry asked, looking at them as they stood by the sink in the kitchen. For a moment, the only noise was the chopping of the knife as it sliced a cucumber.

"SHE'S GETTING MARRIED TO MALFOY!" Ginny yelled again.

Harry's grinned, Ron's eyes widened in shock and Padma ran to hug Hermione. "I'm so happy for you Hermione!" She beamed.

Hermione laughed "Thanks Padma."

Harry was still grinning at her when she let go of Padma "Congratulations Hermione."

"Thank you Harry." She smiled back at him.

Ginny was simply shell shocked, she seemed to have lost all ability to speak and was standing dumbly, gaping slightly.

"You are?" Ron asked in a slightly hoarse whisper.

Hermione nodded "Yes, we decided last night."

Ron came to her then and hugged her fiercely "I never thought I'd be congratulating you for your marriage to Malfoy."

Hermione laughed, feeling at ease for the first time in what felt like days "I don't think many people did."

"As long as your happy Hermione." Ginny appeared to have recovered slight and was smiling.

"Thanks Ginny. You did spare me the trouble of telling everyone." Ginny blushed but laughed with everyone else.

"I appear to have missed the joke." A silky voice drew their attention to the doorway where Draco stood, his hands in the pockets of his robes as he leaned casually against the door frame.

"Draco, I just told them the news." Hermione beamed, not at all unnerved by his frosty gaze.

"Take it well did they?" He continued, though the ice in his eyes seemed to melt a little.

Hermione deduced that he much have arrived by Floo powder as she brushed some off the sleeve of his robes "Yes, it's a _happy_ time."

He couldn't hold onto his calculating manner then and laughed "I never would have guessed."

The others watched with openly stunned expressions as the stone-like man they had known for over a decade melted before them and bent down to kiss Hermione deeply.

"Blimey, he looks like a good kisser." Ginny muttered so the four of them could hear. They gave her mildly scandalised looks.

"It's not all about that Ginny Weasley." Padma scolded, but could not hide her smile.

Ginny smirked back "No but it's pretty darn important; do you think they're going to resurface any time soon?"

"I heard that!" Hermione laughed.

Ginny turned to face the couple, his arm wrapped around her waist and she fit just-so in his embrace; they were a perfect couple. Ginny couldn't be happier for her friend; none of them could have been.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Hermione and Draco walked leisurely down Diagon Alley on a Saturday morning, a slight breezing picking up the cloaks and swishing the identical black material around their ankles.

"You wanted to buy some new robes?" Draco asked as Hermione linked arms with him.

She nodded "Yes, some nice ones to go out in."

Silence fell between them and they strode down the street; ignoring the odd looks of the public.

Draco felt Hermione tense when they passed a florist. He glanced down at her quizzically and saw her lips compressed into a thin, tight line. Her face had lost some of its previous pinkness and she was staring at the shop.

"Is something wrong?" He asked her gently.

The shop was small but couldn't be easily been over looked. There was some pictures of fields of wild flowers in the window; inside, Draco could see bursts of colour and several odd looking flowers he wouldn't have gone near on any of his good days.

"That's were I first saw them." She said in a tight voice.

"Saw who?"

"Seamus and _her_." The venom in her voice barely concealed.

Draco was surprised at her lack of hesitation to speak of her past relationship when she had previously tried to avoid the subject at all costs. He had wanted to know for so long and here was the shocking answer before him. A brave, heroic Griffindor had been the one to make her so wary of him? They were always out to make his life more difficult.

"Seamus?"

"I can't believe I ever fell for him, I'm supposed to be intelligent." She bit off the last word sharply.

"You are." He reassured her.

She laughed bitterly "He had me wrapped around his thumb. I won't forget how I felt when…"

"Yes?" Draco placed his other hand on her arm which was still linked with his.

"When I saw him in there with someone else…kissing." Tears began to form in the corners of her mouth and Draco felt an intense anger towards the Griffindor prat who dared to hurt her.

'Quite a hypocrite aren't you?' That evil voice purred once again in his head. He shoved the thoughts that followed to one side and concentrated on the woman before him.

"And he was holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand…they were for me." A tear made it's way down her smooth cheek and stopped, wobbling slightly before falling to the ground below where it shattered.

"It won't happen again." He told her firmly, knowing he would never do anything like that to her.

'But there are other ways to make a girl cry.' He felt a surge of hatred for that purring voice in his head and once again attempted to block it off.

"I hope not." She whispered as they began walking again.

Draco couldn't dispel the dark thoughts in his head; would he end up hurting her?

'No, it won't happen.' He thought to himself. He wanted nothing more than to be the man she believed he was; the one who cared and the one who needed her as much as she needed him. He wanted to be her pillar to lean on.

"I trust you not to Draco." She stopped, turning to face him "I know you wouldn't do anything like that."

Her words only made it harder for him; why was she so sure? Why wasn't he?

"I know you do." He finally said, shielding his thoughts and smiling. "I know."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Over the next week, Hermione was busy finishing the redecoration of the Manor while Draco was setting up the business with Harry.

For the most part, Hermione stayed out of the business, she found that she didn't actually like the whole atmosphere. She preferred a nice cosy library full of books, while Draco preferred the Quiddich pitch.

He attended two more practices with Harry, arriving home each time in a pleasant mood, sharing animated conversations with her over dinner each time.

"I like the new bed sheets." He told her before putting a mouthful of baked potato in his mouth.

Hermione smiled "They are rather nice aren't they? It was so dark before in the bedrooms; how could you stand it?"

"I didn't really know any different." Draco informed her casually "And Slytherin dungeons aren't much brighter; if you get my meaning."

"I believe I do." She mumbled.

He motioned to a house elf which stood in the far corner "The wine has run out." He informed her.

The little creature leapt up and out of the room to get more wine with a little squeak.

"You could be a little kinder to them." Hermione frowned, making Draco smile to himself.

"Old habits die hard, _dear_."

She gave him a disapproving look and went back to her dinner, plainly trying to ignore him.

"Hermione? Oh come on, you can't possibly be mad at me for that…Hermione?" He tried to get a glimpse of her face.

Before he could see though, the elf entered and re-filled their glasses. "Thank you." He said, his voice devoid of emotion.

The elf seemed startled by his actions and slightly fearful "You are most welcome Master." She squeaked before returning to her post in the corner of the room.

Hermione was looking at him when he turned back to the table, he smirked "Satisfied?"

"Yes I am." She grinned "How is the business coming along?"

Draco shuddered "I swear Potter is just out to make me look like a fool."

Hermione laughed "Why? What has he done now?"

"According to him, everything I do isn't right. I can't use any magic or talk about anything that has any slight relation to magic!" He shrugged in confusion "I never really understand what I'm doing wrong."

"Harry does know muggles better than you do." She pointed out, laughter threatening to bubble out of her.

"I am aware of that!" He replied hotly "But what can I possibly talk to these muggles about if I know nothing about them?"

"The weather." Hermione said, unable to hide her laughter any longer.

"Oh yes, this is so funny." He drawled, ignoring her and turning back to his plate.

"I'm sure you're not that ignorant." She said in soft apology.

He chewed slowly "I'm not." He swallowed "But I honestly don't know how to deal with the muggle corporate world."

"It's all one and the same isn't it?" She asked.

"Not quite, as I had the pleasure of discovering." A wiry grin spread across his features; quite unusual but not unpleasant to look at.

"But things are going alright for the business?" Hermione continued.

He nodded "Yes, we're proving rather tough competition for such a new business." He couldn't mask his pride in the quick recovery of his business, the thought made Hermione smile.

"Well that's good news. Did you read the article in the Prophet this morning?"

Draco drank from his glass, leaning back and giving her a contemplative look "Yes I did, it was rather… interesting."

'He has changed.' She thought, surprised that he hadn't been angry about the article.

"No one ever bothered to tell me that I was marrying you to gain access to your secret stash of galleons though." A smirk followed instead of the deep, angry frown she was expecting.

"I wasn't aware I even had that much gold sitting around; I must have misplaced it over the years." She grinned at him, liking this Draco that had emerged since they had agreed to get married.

He was more stable and wasn't prone to random bouts of anger.

"You'll let me know if you find it won't you? Or you know, I might decide to murder your family." He finished off the last of his wine in one smooth motion.

"That'll be a little difficult seeing as my parents are already dead."

"What?" Draco turned sharply and pinned her to her seat with his steely gaze "What did you say?"

Hermione felt the atmosphere turn cold and couldn't pull her eyes away from his "I said they are already dead."

Draco scrutinised her for a short moment before breaking eye contact with her "I'm sorry to hear that."

Hermione looked down at her empty plate "They were killed by death eaters four years ago." She told him quietly.

If she had of looked up, she would have seen how pasty Draco's face had gone and the metallic glint in his silvery eyes.

"We didn't get there in time to catch them, they had planned it well; we were all far away on a false lead. I wish I could have said goodbye." Even though it had been years ago, Hermione still felt a chill run down her spine at the memory of arriving at her home.

Everything had been upturned and ruined. The Dark Mark hung above the home, warning her at what was inside, but she didn't believe it until she saw them, mouths open in horror and arms thrown up in fear. Then she didn't see anymore for the tears that blinded her vision.

"A false lead." Draco said hoarsely. He had been a death eater four years ago; he had been a loyal servant of the dark lord; he had hunted down and tortured countless people already.

"Yes, we were on the other side of the country, hunting down non-existent death eater hide-outs. By the time we heard about my parents, they were probably already dead." She felt tears prickle the back of her eyes and tried fiercely to hide them.

Draco felt as though the blood in his veins had turned to ice. A false lead to get Potter and his followers away; it was time to make a statement, to let them know Voldemort didn't tolerate Mudbloods.

_You are my most loyal servant Malfoy; I trust things will go as planned._

_Yes my lord._

"Merlin." He whispered

"What?" Hermione shook her head slightly to clear her emotions and looked up. The sight that greeted her was shocking; Draco had turned a sickly pale and his eyes shone with an unhealthy brightness. "Are you alright Draco?"

She reached out to take his hand but he pulled it away; towards himself. "Merlin, no." He whispered again, his horror unconcealed. He was staring in front of him but the beautiful paintings on the wall weren't what he was seeing.

"Draco?" Hermione began to worry.

_They are coming back Malfoy._

_Have you cast the mark?_

_Yes._

_Go, our business here is done._

As Hermione reached towards him again but he stood abruptly; the very air around him seemed to shiver as the very particles themselves tried to get away.

_It has been done My Lord._

_Well done, you are a credit to the Malfoy family; your first kill is it not?_

_Yes, it is My Lord. I feel very much satisfied._

Hermione felt a the presence of a dark shadow; it loomed over the room, creeping up to her slowly. The candles that had lit the room flickered out, leaving them in darkness with only the moonlight to cast shadows over them.

_Your second shall be more rewarding, I assure you young Malfoy._

_My Lord, I believe you have been ill advised, it will be my third._

The light fell across his face sharply; emphasising his straight nose and cold eyes that matched the night in it's grey depths.

Just as suddenly as it had come, the shadow receded and Hermione breathed out, not aware she had been holding her breath. The candles remained unlit, but it appeared that all the power and stiff strength that had held Draco rigid before had dissolved.

He placed his hands on the table and breathed out loudly, his head hung down and his blonde hair fell forward, hiding his features.

Hermione was afraid to speak, she had never experienced anything like that before and didn't understand any of it.

"I didn't…Merlin tell me I didn't." He prayed quietly.

Hermione was puzzled by his words and made to rise from her chair but before she could Draco stood up straight and turned. He paused, as though contemplating something, then walked straight out of the room.

She continued to sit at the table, and after a few moments she heard the vase outside in the hallway fall and shatter, followed by a cry of anger.

The words reached her ears clearly, though she didn't understand them at all.

"I didn't bloody do it!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

How was it? Oh dear Draco must seem a little unstable in Hermione's eyes mustn't he?

Let me know what you think is going to happen!

Thanks so much to One White Tulip, Obnoxiously Peachy Twit 2008, and White-Pink-Fluffy-Strawberriez!

Also a big thanks to Golden Angel 71, Missy Muggle Witch, asianchickkno.1, Black Kibeth, Atlanta, Flaming Amber, Aria DeLoncray, Vala Douglas, BubbLy01, MayuBlack, so this is love, rebelwilla and Carly.


	22. Confessions And Resolutions

**A/N: This is a repost of chapter 22. I have thought over what the reviews have said and decided to try my hand again at this chapter. It is pretty much exactly the same but I've added changed sections of Hermione's reaction.**

**Here is my re-edited chapter:**

Things are getting a little more intense at school and stuff right now so I apologise for my slow updates.

Thank you to every single person who reviewed my fic so far! I really appreciate it all. The reviews for my last chapter were exceptionally long and I love it! Thanks so much! Hands out virtual boxes of chocolate

I have included a song-fic of sorts in here, it fits with the story but it can be considered as a one shot on its own a guess. Much of the lyrics are missing and I did a lot of cutting/editing, but I hope you like the effect. If you don't like song-fics or you don't have to read it; I'll include a little summary at the bottom for those who didn't.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

_Not all who wander are lost._

_J.R.R. Tolkein_

Draco strode quickly down the hall and found it ended much too soon; he wanted to keep going on for ever and ever. He wanted to run away and never see anyone again, because he knew that if he saw Hermione again he would crack.

The truth hurt so bad, it made him want to vomit. He wanted to spill out everything bad inside of him.

'There are other ways to make a girl cry.' That hateful voice purred. He clenched his fists tightly, he hadn't meant to hurt her; he was a changed man.

'You killed her parents.' It was the first time the thoughts had come fully formed in his head and the pain they cause was like no other; it physically hurt to think of it. 'It's in the past, before I changed.' He told himself.

But the voice of truth refused to be silenced 'You are a resemblance of your past.'

"No!" He yelled, his voice echoing off the walls. Some of the portraits looked at him with startled expressions and shifted around in their frames.

'You're a murdered and a liar.' The silky voice continued to torture him, he felt the words claw at his insides and threaten to tear him apart.

"No! I'M NOT A MURDERER!" He roared, leaning on the wall for support.

Suddenly he felt the fight leave him; he couldn't stop the voice inside of him; for it spoke more truth than he dared to admit.

_You lied to the press; more importantly you lied to her. You've killed more than you care to remember. You murdered her parents in cold blood. You didn't even know who they were; you did what you were told like a good little boy._

"Draco?" Her voice shattered his thoughts. She brought the light streaming back into his mind, but just as quickly, the darkness filled it.

What a fool he was to believe he could forget his past. "I need to be alone right now." He said almost pleadingly.

"Are you alright?" She was so delicate, so pure, so innocent; everything he wasn't.

"No, I'm not." He replied shortly, she paused then, not knowing what to say.

After a while she turned around and walked away. 'I'm sorry.' He wanted to say to her.

'I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you.'

He pushed him self violently off the wall and walked out to the vast gardens of Malfoy Manor.

He wandered around, aimlessly trying to forget his new discovery. Things had been so much easier when he didn't know the identity of those he had killed.

"_No one who is still alive knows the extent of what I have done for the Dark Lord"_ Hadn't he told her that? And she had still accepted him, knowing he kept dark and dangerous secrets within him.

But of course, she wouldn't have thought it was he who had killed her parents.

Hermione didn't see Draco after the rest of the night after their startling encounter in the hallway and was reminded of the times earlier in their relationship when he had disappeared for a while after their arguments.

She decided that she was going to try and distract herself. His rapid change of demeanour was disturbing at the very least and she didn't want to approach him just yet.

Walking down the busy street, she held her umbrella against the rain and hurried to the near-by café where Ron and Padma were waiting for her.

Upon entering the café, the scent of freshly ground coffee beans floated to her. Ron was immediately distinguishable from the crowd by his flaming red hair that refused to mellow with age.

"Hermione, good to see you again." Padma greeted, indicating to a seat by her.

Hermione sat down "You too. It's quite wet and windy out there." She added humorously.

"Yeah it looks like spring winds are harsh this year." Ron observed, waving to a waitress.

Hermione took off her coat and ordered a flat white for herself. This meeting with Ron and Padma had been a last minute agreement, but she felt that maybe Draco needed a little time to himself to recover from what ever what causing his anger.

Her presence obviously made him uncomfortable so she was glad to be out. Though she never ceased to be confused at his outburst.

"Where are you staying now?" She asked them.

Padma pointed out the window "Just down that street actually, on the other side."

Hermione glanced over at the many apartment buildings which crowded the city and smiled "Ron?"

"Yeah I'm staying in a house about twenty minutes away." He drank deeply from his cup.

"You're making a move in the muggle industry I hear." Padma grinned.

Hermione laughed "No, it's not me. Draco's taking care of all that stuff; I don't really like it to be honest."

"I read about it in the muggle newspaper." Ron told her as he put down his cup "Causing quite a stir."

"It is run by a very good businessman." Hermione smiled at Ron who surprised her by smiling back.

"So I hear. When will Malfoy Inc. be back in action?"

"I don't know." Hermione replied, shrugging "Whenever Draco feels the time I right I guess."

"What is her like to live with?" Padma asked suddenly. She caught the warning glance Ron sent her but chose to ignore it.

Hermione was caught off guard by her question and for a moment didn't say anything.

"It's nice." She ended up saying.

"More details Hermione!" Padma teased "How could you stand him?" Ron obviously stood on her foot because she winced and shifted her chair away from him, but her expression of earnest curiosity never disappeared.

"Well I couldn't to begin with," Hermione laughed "But I guess I got used to it."

"He's different."

Hermione thought back to the recent events at the Manor and was again struck by the oddness in the situation "Yes, he has changed a lot; he's a good person now."

Ron snorted but quickly turned it into a violent sneeze.

"But people still don't really think much of him." Padma said, a frown forming on her face.

Hermione sighed "Yes, it's hard when you're family has had the reputation of blackmail and involvement with the dark arts. He's trying though and eventually I think they'll see he's not like his father at all; he good and even kind – though he finds that hard to admit." Here she shared a chuckle with Padma.

"I know he has made some mistakes in the past, so does he; but I also know he's changed for the better now; he wouldn't do anything to hurt me."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

**(One Step Closer/ In The End – Linkin Park)**

Draco strode out of the Manor and into the vast expanse of gardens. Though the beautifully maintained grounds weren't what was occupying his mind at the time.

_I cannot take this anymore_

He wished very badly that he could be anywhere but in the gardens in this time a place. Everything was against him from the beginning; that had be the only explanation for why things had always gone wrong when he had tried so hard to make them right.

Hermione meant more to him now than anything he had ever bothered to care for in his life. He knew she was the reason he had survived; he had been given the opportunity to love.

_All these words they make no sense_

_I found bliss in ignorance_

When he had been a death eater, he had followed orders, nothing more. He had captured, tortured and killed many without bothering to question what his victims had done wrong.

But he had never felt guilt, sorrow or disgust at his actions; he hadn't been told to. The pain inside him now, made him crave the numbness he had before; the ability to ignore the emotions that were now swirling around in his head like a school of fish.

_Less I hear the less you say_

She hated him before, he knew that and he hated her with a passion. But what had that hate been based on? Nothing but the teachings of his father who detested those without pure blood.

He found that living with her forced him to come to terms with the true implications of his actions. He met people, friends of hers, that had known the people he had killed; the nameless bodies he had slaughtered.

There were times when he wished she wouldn't speak so freely of death, it told him she was used to it; she was accustomed to sorrow, which was something he wished she didn't have to get used to.

_Everything you say to me_

_Takes me one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

What was he to do now? How could he possibly face her now that he knew the truth?

He knew he couldn't leave. She had become his anchor to sanity; the one who kept him bolted firmly to the ground in case he should get lost.

Maybe he needed to wander, to break free of this dependence he seemed to have developed on her.

Suddenly he found himself at the old Manor in the forest which him and many other death eaters had used as a hide out. It had been dark before but now after being left for so long, it had the obvious signs of disrepair and neglect.

The walls were dull and the furniture was covered in a thick layer of dust.

_I need a little room to breathe_

'_cus I'm one step closer to the edge_

_And I'm about to break_

He stepped slowly out up the staircase, seeing bare walls, empty rooms and smelling the mouldy scent of rotting wood.

Despite the dark interior, he found that this place offered him comfort. It was as dark as he was; he didn't have to hide what he really was here.

A part of his soul ached for her though, a weakness he grimaced at as he progressed down the hallway. All these emotions were what he was trained to avoid.

But they had saved him; they had given him sanity that his fellow death eaters never had.

_I find the answers aren't so clear_

_Wish I could find a way to disappear_

Sitting in the study, he looked out of the dirty window and saw a large expanse of forest. Malfoy lands; all uninhabited and mostly unknown. So many people saw their last moments on Earth under those trees. They had tortured and killed many there, not caring how the blood of their victims would stain the dirt below.

It came to him that he had to tell her; he had to do this last honourable task and be truthful. Afterwards, he knew she would never accept him anymore. He could see the events unfold from there, the pain would wash over him and he would hide; hide from the world and all that it dared to offer him.

He would morph into the murderer he was before; the killer; the emotionless shell of a person his father wanted him to be.

_Nothing seems to go away_

_Over and over again._

Exhausted, he leaned back on the dusty couch and fell into a dreamless sleep.

In the morning, he woke and the pain of everything came crashing down on him. With the motions of an aged man he got up and dusted his cloak off before aparating to the gates of the Manor.

He made his way slowly up the path back to the Manor, dreading his task. He wondered how many times either Hermione or himself had questioned their relationship. How often they had thought about breaking it off and leaving everything the way it was before.

But he hadn't; she hadn't. Why?

There was no answer to that question and he thought that perhaps there never would be.

His impending doom loomed in the distance in the form of a giant Manor. He could tell it was ending, she would never accept him after he told her what he had done. Even though she was the most forgiving of people he knew, she would never be able to forgive this.

_I tried so hard and got so far_

_But in the end,_

_It doesn't even matter_

With a sigh and a heavy heart to match, Draco stepped into the Manor to find his fiancé.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"I was wondering where you had gone." Hermione's voice greeted him when he came through the door.

He stood still, realising he hadn't thought of how to tell her.

"Draco? Are you alright?" She moved to place a hand on his arm but he moved away, not meeting her worried gaze.

"We need to talk about something." He informed her, oddly formal and cold.

She was frowning but he didn't notice anything, they walked in stiff silence to the lounge were a house elf was quietly dusting the portraits.

It turned to greet them but swallowed it's words at the expression on Draco's face. Quickly, he scuttled out of the room and shut the door.

"You should sit." He told her in clipped tones.

Hermione never liked being ordered around but this time she bit back her words and watching him stare at the fire he had just started.

There was a pause where they both seemed to hold their breath, even the portraits were twitching with discomfort.

"I did it." He said, his voice strong but she could see his trembling hands when he leant on the mantle.

"Did what?" Ignoring his earlier order, she rose and stood beside him.

Draco turned his head to look at her over his arm, in his grey eyes she saw regret, pain and defeat. "I killed your parents."

His voice had lost all of its strength. It came out as a whisper and cracked slightly.

She stepped back in shock, his words bouncing around in her head; refusing to be absorbed and accepted.

It couldn't be possible, of all the hundreds of death eaters at the time, how could it be him? He would never do that, was her first thought but then she trembled; he would and he did.

"I didn't know at the time, but when you told me…I know now." He continued, never taking his eyes from hers.

She crumpled, falling to the floor in a heap trembling heap. He watched her, but didn't make any move to help her up or offer any comfort.

The fire crackled softy and threw waves of warmth over her but she didn't feel it, all she felt was the soul tingling chill that engulfed her entire being.

"No." She whispered in defiant tones. The rational part of her head told her that she had ever right to be angry; she should stand up and deal him a good solid blow; just to see if he could feel an ounce of the pain she experienced when she found out her parents had been killed.

His expression turned incredulous "You can't ignore the truth."

She angled her head up so she could see him and through the haze of despair, she saw that he was hoping that she would forgive him; he was sorry for his actions.

Forgive _him_? How could she ever forgive someone who had killed her parents? He had taken away the two people that raised her; that taught her everything she knew about life.

His forgiveness was something unthinkable and yet all too possible. That frightened her, what had she become that she could let this go? Was he wielding a power around her that she wasn't aware of?

"You thought you could keep this from me?" The words came out shrill and cut through the thick atmosphere like a sharp knife.

This was ultimate betrayal. He had gained her trust and led her to believe that she could let go of him past.

Why bother had he to tell the truth then? He had wanted her forgiveness, she realised that he wouldn't have been able to live, knowing he had murdered her parents in cold blood.

He had a conscious now and it was asking her to forgive his grievous crime.

"I never knew." Came his soft whisper that held so many pleas in it's tone.

In her heart she knew she had already granted him his wish, but her mind was finding it hard to accept.

He had proven himself over and over again to everyone, not just her. He was a changed man and she already decided long ago that his past wrong-doings wouldn't hold him back from making a stand now.

"That doesn't change what you did." She said, turning to the fire, hoping to gain some comfort from the flickering flames.

He seemed to be fighting an inner battle, she could see his struggles in his eyes "Can you blame me?" Immediately he knew his words had come out the wrong way.

"Can I?" Her voice rose as she stood and stepped closer to him in challenge. Thinking better of it, she took two steps back "Why can't I is a better question!" She cried, feeling so defeated.

He pushed away from the mantle and faced her, "You didn't blame me for the others."

"I never said I didn't blame you!" Her words effectively destroyed his weak barrier he had erected around his soul.

"You do then?" His voice was hard and laced with anger, but inside his essence was leaving him.

Hermione breathed deeply, knowing instinctively they were both standing on the edge of a knife "They weren't my parents." She breathed.

He took a while to reply, standing half a meter away from her but he couldn't have seemed further away. Memories of the night mixed with snaps of his other experiences as a death eater. They were dark, cold and sent shivers down his spine.

"Do you want to leave?"

She breathed deeply, thinking over his question. They were going to be married, she knew that he cared for her now or he wouldn't be here confessing and silently pleading for forgiveness.

Never could she marry and love a man who had so happily tortured, killed; murdered. She could never bring herself to stay with a man who enjoyed inflicting pain, a man who considered the dark arts a play thing; but he wasn't that man.

In her mind, Hermione had separated the two sides of Draco's nature and although some characteristics overlapped, she didn't think of them as the same person any more. She knew for a fact that if she did, she wouldn't have stayed this long with him. He wasn't the same person and as far as she was concerned the two personas in her head were as separate and distinct as fire and water.

She cared about him, the new Draco Malfoy and knew that he had once again proven himself to her by coming and confessing the truth.

"I love you." The words were out before she could even think about them. They bounced around the room, so out of place in the situation.

He jerked as though she had slapped him. "Hermione-"

"I do, and I'm not going anywhere." The words were coming and she didn't even think, she just said them, knowing they were truth in its raw form.

He sat down then, not trusting his legs to keep him standing. He crossed his long legs and sighed.

"Was it only you?" She asked, more tentatively, taking a step towards his hunched form.

Draco was staring into the flames and spoke in a mono tone as though in a trance "I went with three other death eaters under Voldemorts orders. He had assigned the others to create a distraction so our coast was clear."

She listened closely, frightened that she could imagine the whole incident with startling clarity.

"The others went in first and I locked the door behind me. We put silencing charms on the walls and entered the living room. They were sitting, talking to each other and didn't hear us coming in. When they turned around I laughed; we all laughed while they stared at us. They were afraid; I could smell it."

His emotionless voice was beginning to scare her and she found herself gripping her skirt until her knuckles were white, still she did not ask him to stop. It could have been because she didn't have the breath left to utter anything.

"Then I sent the curse at them, it killed them both instantly. I was warned that Potter was on his way, so we left. They never found us."

Hermione recalled finding her parents and felt a tear slide down her cheek, she didn't bother to wipe it away.

"I lied to you, but here is the truth." He spoke properly now, turning to face her "I have killed an uncountable number of people, wizards, witches, muggles. I've tortured even more, and I never once bothered to remember their faces or their names. I'm sorry for what I've done, but I know I can never be sorry enough for killing your parents."

Hermione curled up, wrapping her arms around her knees, not meeting his eyes. In all honesty she was afraid of the tidal wave of emotions that lay within them. She would surely drown if it crashed down on her.

"You didn't torture them." She observed with an oddly detached voice.

He shook his head "No, there wasn't any time."

The cruelness of his words struck her with a force, he had once been a completely black soul, not caring whether or not people died, only that he got what he wished for. His own pleasure was the only thing important to him then.

"I don't want to go." She whispered.

"You can, I'm not going to stop you." He told her, getting up and walking away from the warmth of the fire.

The candles were all out and she saw him melt with ease into the shadows of the room as though he belonged there.

"I don't want to leave you." She said again, not knowing if he heard her.

She sat a while longer, lost in her thoughts when his voice came from the shadows.

"I don't want you to leave either; without you, I'm my own worst enemy." His voice had gained some of its strength and he was sure of what he was saying.

She stood up; turning to face the shadows of the room she saw a faint outline of a body by the bookshelf. "We've been through a lot." She began stepping carefully around furniture towards him. "And we've survived," when she reached him she put a hand on his arm and this time he didn't pull away.

"You killed my parents Draco, and with it a reason for existing," He stiffened slightly, she paid him no heed "but you gave me an even bigger reason for living."

She stood on her tip toes and leaned up to place a soft kiss on his lips.

He looked down at her when they parted, an unreadable expression on his face

"So you're staying then?" A hint of his old teasing manner came through which relaxed the atmosphere greatly.

She nodded, smiling softy "Yes, I am. A spectacular wedding would be nice wouldn't it?"

"Depends on how spectacular it is towards my vault." He replied dryly leaning down once more, not missing her grin before his lips met hers.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Wow that was intense! I was afraid for them for a moment, were you? It's been hard to gather the last few chapters together and I do apologise for my mistake in chapter 21 where I said "tears began to form in the corner of her mouth" that was stupid! Sorry! As you know, it should have been "tears began to form in the corner of her eyes".

I hope you will forgive my silly mistakes and enjoy the story. Drop in a review and let me know what you think! Everyone has an opinion and I would like to hear them all.

For those who didn't read the song-fic, it was a period of time where Draco thought about his relationship with Hermione and decided to tell her the truth because he knew he couldn't live with himself if he didn't.

Thanks so much! Bye for now! …CrYsTaLcLoUd…

**A/N: So how did you like it? Please let me know if you thought it was better/worse/the same. I'd like to know. Thanks so much!**


	23. Feels So Good, Too Good?

Thanks for all of your reviews, they mean a lot.

I reposted the previous chapter after some editing. Feel free to read my improvements and let me know what you think.

You're response has been amazing! Thanks so much to my regular reviewers Obnoxiously Peachy Twit 2008, OneWhiteTulip, and Golden Angel71. Also big thanks to Jo who gave me a very cute birthday present!

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Ginny stood by a rack of dresses and frowned critically. Beside her a flushed, ginger-haired woman tapped her foot impatiently.

"Will you stop that?" Ginny snapped.

Hermione folded her arms over her chest "You're taking forever; it's not even your wedding Ginny."

The red head smiled "No, it's not. I don't understand why you're not taking even more care than I am about this."

"It's a dress Ginny, not the apocalypse." Hermione retorted, turning away to look out of the large shop window.

Ginny had pestered her to go dress shopping for nearly a week; finally Hermione had given in and allowed herself to be dragged all over wizarding London to find a 'perfect' dress.

"What about this one?" Ginny tapped her shoulder and showed her a white halter top dress with silver embroidery on the torso and the base.

"It looks just like the other one I just tried on." She observed.

Ginny sighed in exaggerated patience "You are impossible Hermione, come on it's different and I'm sure it will look good on you."

"No, I don't like it. Draco wouldn't either."

"Why not? It's pretty." But she returned it to the shelf anyway.

"It looks like muggle fashion." Was the explanation.

It wasn't that Hermione didn't like dress shopping, she looked forward to it very much. The wedding date had been set for March the next year and she looked forward to it but, she felt that she was being forced into it a little too much.

"Ginny, let's go. I'm tired and I don't really feel like finding a dress at the moment."

Ginny followed looking dejected but didn't say anything. Hermione had told her about Draco's discovery and knew that things must be hard for her friend now.

Ron and Harry hadn't been told, she assumed it was because they wouldn't hesitate to kill Malfoy right there and then if they ever found out.

"Are you going home now?" Ginny asked when they reached the open street. Witches and wizards hurried up and down to go about their business.

Hermione nodded "Yes, I believe you've taken me to ever dress shop there is and my feet are killing me."

"Oh you haven't even seen half!" Ginny laughed "But alright, we can do it another time."

"I'll be sure to get you to come with me." Hermione smiled "Owl me if you need anything."

Once Ginny nodded, Hermione aparated to the Manor with two loaded shopping bags of new clothing.

"What was it you were telling me you were doing today? 'A little window shopping'?" Draco's familiar drawl greeted her when she entered his study. She didn't feel anger or annoyance though, instead she felt comfort in being able to return to him at the end of a tiring day.

"Ginny was with me." She offered as explanation.

Draco raised an eyebrow "Last I heard, window shopping didn't mean bringing half that shop home, but then the Weasley's haven't ever shared my views on much have they?"

Hermione laughed "No, I don't believe they have."

She went over to his desk where he sat a placed a kiss on his cheek, leaning on the desk she felt him take her hand subconsciously.

"I have training next week, I'll most likely be gone for the rest of the month." He informed her.

She looked down and saw a letting bearing the crest of the Worldwide Quiddich Society and nodded in understanding "Sure, I'll be fine here."

"I know you would be" He assured her "I have some things I need you to take care of while I'm gone."

"What things?" she stood and conjured a glass of water to quench her thirst that had been growing since she had entered the last shop with Ginny.

Draco picked up a stack of parchment and placed them on the side of his desk closest to him "Some things for the business, I have a few deals to close off. Nothing major, Pansy will contact you when everything is confirmed and you just need to match the information they have with these papers."

"Pansy?" She inquired, flicked through the parchments.

"Yes, she is employed as my secretary. She's doing some good there."

"Some? I see." Hermione smirked an eerily Draco-like way.

He chuckled "Apart from that everything has been set up to run without me there. It's coming along nicely."

"When do you hope to bring back Malfoy Inc.?"

He shrugged "I'm thinking around January."

Hermione nodded "I'll put this stuff back now. When do you want to have dinner?"

"Whenever you're hungry." He replied, looking back at his unfinished letter to a muggle customer.

Hermione looked at him for a moment, taking in his smooth features and the small crease in his forehead he had when he was concentrating. She saw no trace of the monster that had murdered her parents; she couldn't see the darkness he claimed to have in his soul.

He wasn't the same man, they were completely different and she felt that nothing would ever tear her away from the comfort she gained when in his company.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

With re-decorating of the Manor complete and wedding plans on the way, Hermione felt that maybe it wasn't so alright that Draco left for three weeks.

She was tempted to visit him at his training grounds just to sit see him. But her pride allowed her to do no such thing, she could handle everything at the Manor. As Lady of the Manor, it was her responsibility to take care of things when Draco couldn't be around, independence and organisation was what she was so well known for at school and now was no exception to those traits.

She spent the first day of Draco's absence mulling over the guest list for the wedding. There were so many people from Hogwarts and from the ministry that she wanted to invite, but Draco's side of the list was rather small. Consisting of a few fellow Slytherins and some business partners, she felt there should be more here for him.

Of course, the people she would expect to be at a wedding didn't count for him, his parents had perished in the war, he had no siblings, the rest of the Malfoy family was non-existent for one reason or another and he wasn't the friendliest of people at school.

Sighing, she added her workmates from the ministry and Hogwarts to the list.

The rest of the week she spend visiting Cho who was also alone because Harry had also gone to training.

Cho helped her with catering and they developed detailed menus for the five course reception dinner.

"Why do they always put salmon in the first course?" Cho asked when they began flipping through the brochures.

Hermione shrugged "I guess it looks nice, all pink and slippery."

Cho cringed "Gross."

"Well it won't be on our menu Cho." Hermione assured her, the corners of her mouth twitching in mirth.

"I'm glad about that." The two women settled into comfortable silence as they looked through the thick glossy magazines of steaming food and silver cutlery.

"I miss Harry when he goes off for training, do you find the house is a bit empty without Draco?" Cho asked, not looking up from her brochure but Hermione knew she was listening carefully.

"It's pretty empty with him there sometimes." She offered, laughing softly.

Cho smiled "I imagine it must be, it's such a huge Manor."

Hermione nodded; throwing the brochure she was looking at on the floor and picking up another one. "But yes, I do miss his company."

"Oh I see." Cho replied, turning back to the pictures and smiling softly to herself.

Hermione shrugged inwardly, she no longer cared much whether people approved of her relationship with Draco; they were happy together and he doing well for the Malfoy name.

After much deliberation, they both decided on suitable meals and set to planning decorations. Just as Hermione was about to fetch refreshments for them, a familiar jet black owl swooped into the room.

Since Draco had given her a 'talking to', Gabrielle had been very well behaved for Hermione and now glared suspiciously at Cho.

"She's my friend." Hermione told the owl, knowing very well she could understand perfectly. "What's this?"

She untied a parchment from Gabrielle's leg and slipped her a treat. Gabrielle didn't often get treats from Draco and seemed to like Hermione a lot when she found out Hermione wasn't against bribery.

_Dear Hermione _the letter read,

_How are things at the Manor? Pansy should have contacted you by now about the closing of those offers. If not, let me know and I'll owl them myself or post them seeing as they're muggles._

_And you? Plans for the wedding are coming along nicely I assume, I know you'll want everything perfect so there is nothing for me to worry about._

_Potter is not quite as insufferable as he once was and we are staying at the same Hotel with Mark; they're the only ones I trust not to attack me in my sleep. The tension hasn't eased at all._

_Our first match will be in November. As far as I'm concerned, Potter and I will be returning in two weeks._

_Owl me if you need anything,_

_Draco_

"Who's that from?" Cho asked from across the room.

Hermione smiled "Draco, he says both him and Harry expect to be back in two weeks."

Cho nodded and appeared pleased by the news "I can't wait."

"And their first game is in November, we should go together." She picked up a new piece of parchment and wrote her reply.

_Draco,_

_I'm glad you wrote, it's been quite empty at the Manor without you. Pansy has owled me and everything has been taken care of, she is surprisingly efficient and surpassed my expectations._

_Plans are coming along well though Cho persuaded me to take salmon out of the menu completely. Also I don't know much about the alcohol so you may have to decide what wines to serve when you get back._

_I look forward to seeing you when you get back._

_Hermione_

Tying the letting to Gabrielle's foot, she gave the bird an extra treat and led her to the window. The cool early winter air blew in, sending shivers down Hermione's spine. Winter had been early coming this year and the temperatures were already cooling in early October.

"When do you plan to tie the knot with Harry?" Hermione asked suddenly.

She had been so absorbed in her own affairs she hadn't bothered to notice how the romantic lives of her friends were going.

"I don't know, it's a bit early to say I guess." Cho answered, stacking the brochures and magazines on the table.

"Nothing like a bit of the unexpected to make life more interesting." Hermione preached, laughing at Cho's puzzled expression.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

The time passed quickly and Hermione soon found herself awake on the day Draco and Harry were to come back. No doubt he would be tired but she had lots to ask him about.

She rose and set about tidying what the study where her, Cho and Ginny had taken residence over the last few days.

Just as she finished, Draco aparated into the room, causing her to start.

"Are you up to mischief?" He teased, putting down his trunk and slipping out of his black travelling cloak.

"No." Hermione replied, feigning innocence.

He grinned down at her and kissed her gently "I feel as though I'm about to fall asleep on my feet." He told her, dropping his mask to reveal a very fatigued countenance.

She hugged him, happy that he was back. "Sleep then, I'll wake you when lunch is ready."

"No, tell me what you've been doing." He declined and sat down in his seat behind the desk.

"Are you sure you don't want to have a rest first?" She sat opposite him, admiring how right he looked sitting behind his desk in a large chair. He seemed at ease which comforted her.

"No, now what's going on with the wedding?" He conjured some logs in the fire so it now roared, spreading warmth throughout the room.

"Many things." She began smiling "There is so much to plan out."

"Do you have a budget?" Was his first question and he was serious.

This made Hermione laugh out loud "Of course! You don't think I would be so mean as to blindly step out and buy any decoration that matches my fancy?"

"Well, you are a woman." He smirked, earning a glare.

"How was training?" She asked, feeling that now wasn't the best time to approach Draco about cakes and other very feminine things.

He shrugged "It was alright, we're ready for the first match; that is, if we don't kill each other first."

"Is it still really that bad?" Hermione wondered out loud. She hadn't accompanied him to any practices after the first meeting. Part of her was wary of the American player that went by the name of Bradley Morrison.

Draco smirked "Well it isn't quite like you saw it, but I swear Morrison is out to get me with that bat of his."

Hermione frowned "He's so unsociable."

"That's putting it lightly." Draco replied dryly. "Are you coming to the game?"

"Yes, of course. Cho and Ginny are coming with me."

"I should have known; Potter's cheerleaders I presume." He got up, the bitterness in his voice hanging around them.

"I thought you said you were getting along with him." She remained seated, looking at his back which was turned to her.

He was silent for a moment and suddenly Hermione realised what was plaguing him.

This match meant a lot for his image and no doubt he was finding it hard to admit he wanted her there to support him.

"It's a qualifier for the world cup." He told her plainly, knowing it was explanation enough.

It was his chance to show the world that he was a good quiddich player and didn't just get in because of his name or money; it was also his chance to make a media appearance for something good.

"You don't have to worry, you have your won personal cheerleader." She smiled when he turned to eye her mockingly.

"I never thought you were one for cartwheels and handstands, Granger."

She stood and hugged him "Oh you have no idea; muggles take cheerleading very seriously." And they both laughed, she felt the rumbling of his mirth next to her ear as she rest her cheek against his chest.

"I will never understand why the wizarding world chose to take up a useless muggle pastime as cheerleading." He held her and gazed out the window where it had begun to snow. It was only early November and the sight was unusual.

"It's because of Harry, he encouraged it."

"Potter and his great contributions to the world."

"Don't be mean." Hermione scolded, but couldn't hold back the smiled that formed on her lips.

Draco smirked. "Now tell me how the business has fared in my absence." He broke away and sat down once again, turning his chair back to the desk and his back to the snow outside.

"Fine actually, smooth sailing." Hermione informed him not hiding the surprise in her voice. "You must be pretty good at dealing with muggles."

He eyed her suspiciously "I'll check up on everything tomorrow."

"But you can't." She began "We need to go and look at table settings."

"_Table settings_?" he threw her an incredulous expression "Have you gone completely insane?"

Hermione laughed "No, I'm not. There's no need to look at me like that."

"Could you have picked a more boring thing for me to spend my time?" He retorted, it was a rhetorical question.

"But this is all part of the fun." She said brightly.

He raised an eyebrow critically "_Fun_? Of what?"

"Getting married."

"Also known as 'the end of my freedom'." He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "Why must I go with you?"

Hermione stood "Because it's your job."

"I fail to see how it is my job to assist you in any of this." He informed her dryly.

"Miss! Miss!" A bobbing house elf appeared and was tugging at Hermione's robes, it's eyes full of fear.

"What is it Jink?" Hermione knelt down, not missing Draco's frown.

"It's Betty Miss!" The elf squealed, it's gaze flickering over to it's master who was looking travel worn and grumpy.

"What is wrong with Betty?" Hermione asked firmly.

The elf returned it's gaze to Hermione "She's outside! She hasn't come back and it's snowing miss!"

Hermione looked out the window and was surprised to find that the snow had fallen fast, covering the ground and was swirling so she couldn't see the outline of the trees that surrounded the lake.

"She's out there?"

Jink nodded "Yes miss!"

"Thank you, I will take care of things, you may return to your work." Hermione said firmly.

The elf bowed and scuttled out of the room.

"Come on." Hermione urged, grabbing her outdoor robes and throwing Draco's to him.

"What?" He didn't move and was looking puzzled.

Hermione sighed, "We're going to find Betty."

"You're kidding me." He scoffed, placing his robes on his desk.

Hermione picked it up and threw it at him again "Come on."

He stared at her as though she had just sprouted an elephant trunk. When she continued to glare at him he stood and slipped the robe over his shoulders and followed her out into the snow covered grounds.

"You have now officially gone totally mental." He muttered when a biting wind swept at them.

Hermione rolled her eyes "Quit moaning."

"Why am I trudging through the snow after two weeks of intense quiddich training just to find some house elf who was idiotic enough to get itself stuck in snow fall?" He continued, ignoring Hermione's orders.

"Draco, will you stop? It's your house elf too." She punched him though he could hardly feel it through the thickness of his robes.

"We don't even know where it is."

"Where _she _is." She corrected, trying to look pass the swirling snow to find some kind of land mark.

"This is utterly stupid." Draco announced, turning to go back inside, only to find his face in the snow when Hermione grabbed his arm.

Somehow they had fallen and were now tangled together, cold flakes of snow falling on them. "You're going to look with me." She told him firmly, getting up in the most dignified way possible and glaring down at him in challenge.

"We can hardly see where we're going!" He argued, getting up and brushing snow flakes off his robes, feeling irritated he was even outside in this horrid weather.

Hermione continued to look around "We can't leave her out here! We can handle some heavy snowfall."

Draco snorted "Heavy snowfall? Most wizards call this a blizzard."

"It is not!" Hermione yelled partly out of annoyance and partly to be heard over the wind which had begun to sweep through the property.

Draco grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the Manor "This is stupid, even for you. The elf will be fine, we need to go inside before we freeze."

Hermione struggled the whole way but couldn't pull herself from his grip "You're being so horribly cruel! You can't just leave her out there! Let go of me! I said let go of me!"

Draco persisted, pulling her inside and shutting the door abruptly. "No." He breathed when she opened her mouth to continue the onslaught. "You are not going out there."

He took of his robes which were damp and heavy. Hermione stood with her arms crossed and glared at him, but he paid her no heed.

An elf appeared and took both their coats, once Draco managed to get her to take hers off, and hurried to have them dried.

"You can't be angry at me for caring." He said wearily, heading up the staircase.

Behind him, he could hear her footsteps "I can't believe you're just going to leave her out there to die."

He froze.

"You know that no house elf will survive outside." She continued, her voice biting through the air.

He turned and faced her, his jaw set "She will be fine, I assure you."

"No, she won't and you're just going to leave her out there because you can't stand to get your spoilt little feet wet to look for her." She scowled at him fiercely.

"Fine! Go out there and look for the stupid thing! I don't bloody care, because you obviously don't want me to!" He yelled, his voice echoing throughout the foyer and hallway.

Then before Hermione could retort he turned abruptly and strode into the bedroom, his robes swishing sharply around his legs.

She stood there, torn on what to do. She knew that it was only right to go and help the poor little house elf outside but she also felt guilty for snapping at Draco.

Eventually she deduced that she could talk to him later but she needed to find Betty now. Calling for her robes she stepped out of the Manor and headed out into the swirling mass of snow flakes.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Draco stood rigid when he shut the door to their bedroom and listened intently. He heard nothing for a while and wondered if Hermione was still standing there.

He chided himself for getting so angry, but he couldn't possibly have held it back.

He started when he heard the door slam and swore violently before calling for his robes.

'She did exactly as you bid her, you dolt, why did you even say it?' He thought bitterly as he hurried down the stairs. He slipped on gloves and his robes and a scarf.

Seeing that Hermione left behind hers, he grabbed it and opened the door. The sharp wind blew through his layers of clothing as though they weren't there.

"Hermione!" He yelled, but found he could hardly hear himself over the roaring of the winds. It was a snow storm and was steadily getting worse.

'Where are you woman?' He asked silently, hoping to see a trace of the red cloak he knew was hers.

He saw nothing and headed forwards, hoping she hadn't gotten too far.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

That was a rather long chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think of it so far. My writers block has been getting worse and I don't think I can last too much longer.

I have re-posted chapter 22 so please see my changes and let me know if you think they are better.

Thank you very much for reading!


	24. Is That A Spec Of Gold?

I'm glad the response for my last chapter was good. I am really glad you liked it and your reviews help me a lot in writing!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Draco felt as though he had been trudging through the snow for hours when he finally reached something familiar.

The Lake; he wasn't that far from the Manor; had he simply been walking in circles?

He cursed under his breath, though he could have yelled and still not heard himself over the wind.

"Hermione!" He called out in vain, trying to think of how he was supposed to find her in this mess. He could have circled her several times for all he knew.

He sought shelter under a large tree by the lake and wondered if she had taken her wand with her. Maybe he should have checked before leaving the Manor.

After sitting for a while he found that he legs were going numb and moving was probably the best option. At least he wouldn't feel totally useless then.

"You and your love of house elves." He muttered to the air, annoyance in his voice, but inside he felt a twinge of worry. He hoped she was alright.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Hermione found Betty curled up into a ball near by a rose bush. The should make out a tall stone wall that marked the edge of the property.

She had walked far and was feeling very cold. Slowly she bent down and picked up the whimpering house elf.

"Miss?" It squeaked, though Hermione couldn't make out what she was saying.

"It's alright, you're going to be fine." She yelled, hoping her voice could be heard.

She took Betty nearer to the wall and crouched under a tree. Although she would never admit it out loud, she was regretting leaving the Manor.

The path that lead back to the Manor was completely covered in snow, and she had left her wand in the study.

"I am so stupid." She cursed, that was twice she had forgotten her wand when she really needed it.

Draco, where was he? Had he stayed in the house, unaware she had ventured out to find Betty? Would he really think she would do that?

Hermione hoped that he would find them, maybe he had his wand and could make her feel warm.

She stood, stomping in the snow for a moment to try and bring the feeling back into her freezing limbs. "Damn this property for being so huge." She muttered again, feeling the breath against her lips but unable to hear the words.

After a moment she picked up Betty who was gazing around in confusion and fear.

She kept to the wall, trying to see the Manor in the distance. "Draco, where are you?" She yelled, knowing no one could have possibly heard her.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Draco sifted through his pockets and finally found his wand within the folds of his robes. He shook it a bit and cast a warming spell over himself.

The snow around his feet melted slightly causing water to seep through his clothing and he hastily put a stop to the spell.

He stepped continued to walk forwards – in the direction he hoped was forwards – and ran through the list of spells he knew to see if one could help him find Hermione.

A while later he paused, and muttered an incantation he had long since forgotten.

Green sparks burst out of the tip of his wand. He stared at it, confused. Then with a sudden gust of wind he heard a voice.

It seemed that every nerve in his body tingled and he felt his pulse quicken. No words could be made out but he was sure he had heard a voice.

Now, straining his ears, he could hear nothing. He said the incantation with more force this time and pointed his wand in the general direction he heard the voice.

A steady stream of green and white shot out of his wand and disappeared into the swirling mass of snow.

He waited, breathing heavily, shoulders tense. Not long after, the beam came racing back over the ground, leaving a melted path behind it.

Draco stepped onto the cleared ground and hurried along, not wanting the snow to cover the path.

He walked on and on, so long he wondered if he had somehow performed the wrong spell.

"Hermione!" He yelled, not knowing why he kept doing that when he knew no one a meter from him could possibly hear.

But this time, he heard an answering call "Draco!" He broke into a run.

The path was straight now and he sprinted along it to come to the wall marking the edge of the property. 'What?' he thought, looking around in confusion.

The cleared pathway had ended here and he couldn't see Hermione anywhere. Wait a moment…he saw a dark figure just disappearing from his vision.

He called out, stepping out into the now calf deep snow "Hermione! Wait! Hermione, stop moving!"

He saw the figure falter and tried to reach her before she thought to start walking again.

Just as he was about to put a hand on her shoulder she whirled around and hugged him tightly. He held her for a moment too, not realising how worried he was until he saw her.

"Did you find her?" He yelled over the wind.

Hermione nodded and indicated to a quivery elf who was wearing a large robe wrapped several times around its body.

"IS THAT _YOUR_ CLOAK?" He roared, taking into account for the first time that Hermione was only wearing her indoor robes.

She glanced down at Betty and nodded "Yes it is."

He glared at the elf who started to tremble from more than the cold. "I told Miss to take her cloak back Sir!" It squeaked.

Draco turned on Hermione who was looking quite pale and shivered slightly in his arms "Are you insane?"

She gave a sheepish, slightly lopsided grin and shrugged. He whipped out his wand performed a warming spell, not caring that the melting snow was soaking his clothing.

"Let's go." He said firmly, feeling both relieved and annoyed at the same time.

He was frustrated that she would give her cloak to the elf and not take care of herself, but he knew it would hurt his pride too much to say that to her face.

He tightened his grip around her shoulders as they followed the wall to the corner of the Manor's East wing and then to the back door.

Betty quickly took off Hermione's robe once they were inside and hurried away to have it cleaned and dried.

Hermione sank down onto the stair case and leaned her head against the banister, sighing heavily. "Thank you." She murmured.

Draco stood before her, glaring but finding no words to say.

She opened her eyes to look at him "Do you need time to write your lecture?"

"No." He snapped. "How could you be so completely stupid?"

An indignant expression flashed across her face but was quickly replaced by guilt. "I didn't have my wand." She said quietly knowing that it didn't answer anything.

Draco began to pace in front of her, his cloak still dripping "Do you realise how reckless and idiotic that was? You could have caught your death!"

Hermione stared at him in surprise.

"Do you have anything to say?" He demanded, coming to a halt before her.

She looked down "I'm sorry."

Draco suddenly found himself sitting next to her and holding her close "I don't understand you're need to play the hero all the time."

She chuckled softly into his chest "It's a Griffindor thing, you wouldn't understand."

"No, I don't think I really want to." He replied dryly. "We should get changed, we're leaving a puddle here."

She sat up and kissed his cheek "Thank you." She repeated.

He smiled softly; his hard features losing all of their menace and anger "Just don't do anything like that again."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Pink has got to be one of the most revolting colours I have ever come across in my life." Draco sat lazily in the largest armchair in the library, eyeing Hermione over his book.

His fiancé sat opposite him, a pile of pamphlets on the table beside her. "Honestly Draco, there are worse colours."

"Really? Like what?" He shut his book and looked at her expectantly.

"How about the colour of mud?" She flipped through a thick magazine, thoroughly bored with this whole affair of decorations.

"Brown?" Draco scoffed "It's flexible and useful sometimes; pink however, it sickening."

Hermione shrugged "If that's what you think."

Draco raised his eyebrow, she never gave up so easily "You feeling alright?"

"I'm touched by your concern." She smirked, placing a hand over her heart in emphasis.

Draco stood up and went to place a kiss on her lips, he leaned on the arms of her chair and smirked "You sure you can handle this?"

"Of course!" Hermione snapped, she could plan a wedding without his help!

"Just checking." He continued to smirk as he stood and stretched. "So table settings today is it?"

Hermione tried not to stare in shock. He was agreeing to come with her? Had his head been affected by the snow yesterday?

She had to admit that having him there would make things more interesting. "Sure you can handle all the walking around?"

"I'm a professional quiddich player, I'm quite fit, thank you." He said with a note of pride.

Hermione smiled, "Let's go then."

They picked up their robes and aparated to an expensive lane of home ware shops.

"I don't see any other women bringing their partners here." Draco said as they linked arms and began walking down the street.

Hermione rolled her eyes "They do, you just can't see them; they're all hiding."

"Because they don't want to be seen." Draco pointed out dryly, making it obvious that it wasn't a credit to his stern reputation to be strolling down this particular lane, hand-in-hand with his fiancé.

"You'll survive." Hermione told him briskly as she steered them into a brightly decorated shop.

"Merlin save me." Draco muttered just as a plump shop attendant greeted them with false cheer and led them to the most expensive range of table ware.

"This is our most exclusive range of plates, they are perfect for weddings!" The lady continued, dragging them around the entire shop, insisting there was something that suited them perfectly somewhere within the shelves.

Hermione smiled politely and seemed to be taking a keen interest in what the plump woman had to say, while Draco didn't bother to hide his boredom.

When she finally bounced off the an incoming couple, Draco sighed and eyed the plates and cutlery with disinterest.

"That was cruel Draco." Hermione said though she was smiling.

"What did I do?"

"You didn't need to glare like you were about to eat her." She replied, looking at the different designs carefully.

Draco smirked "Well she left didn't she?"

"She's just trying to do her job." She countered.

"Well it's not mine to make her time easier." He said matter-of-factly.

Hermione laughed then "Let's go." She took his hand and they left the shop, walking straight into the one next door.

Draco fought down a groan, this was going to be a long day.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

They spent the next three weeks preparing the wedding and Draco found that Hermione was much happier when they shopped together and was willing to suffer the false cheer of hundreds of shop assistants to make Hermione happy.

The thought was a little disturbing at first, but he soon became accustomed to it and found that it wasn't such a bad thing to feel.

In early November, he took Hermione to his first quiddich match. They stayed at a fancy hotel and he made sure Hermione had the best seats.

She sat with Cho, Ginny and Ron who all gave him wary wishes of luck.

Harry was sitting with other reserve members of the team, ready to be called on if anyone was injured.

Draco sat with his team, in silence before the match, feeling butterflies in his stomach at the thought of Hermione watching him.

He was glad she had come to support him but was afraid of looking like a fool in front of her. The press would have a field day if they lost; there would be stories on how he bought his way into the team and that he was obviously no better than his father.

The thought made him cringe, he wanted to be so much more than Lucius Malfoy had ever been.

"It's time to go, just play you're best." Mark told them, he seemed a little nervous himself but was trying hard not to show it. "Keep your bat aimed at the opposing team Morrison." He added sharply.

The bulky American grunted in what could have been taken as agreement and they filed out of the changing room.

Draco gazed up into the stands where he knew Hermione was sitting and wondered how many people were crowding the stands. They were cheering and large banners of white, black and silver were floating in the air; the colours of their team.

Just opposite him, the Irish team was entering the pitch to a loud cheer. Draco saw that just as many supporters came to see the Irish win.

The team formed an arrow shape with Draco standing at the end on the left side. He watched as captains shook hands and nodded at the referee's instructions.

He patted his side and felt the reassuring shape of his wand before grasping his broom and kicking off with the others.

The noise was deafening. As he rose higher and higher, he could see that the Irish flags out numbered the ones for his own team.

He shot to the side to avoid a bludger and caught a glare from the Irish beater as they passed.

Rising away from the other players, Draco glanced down to see that they were in possession of the quaffle and used another moment to see Anthony score a goal. He felt a grin spread over his face and darted to the opposite side of the pitch to find the snitch.

Half an hour later, the people still hadn't screamed themselves hoarse. Draco was circling the pitch, listening to the score and trying to find see the snitch in the waves of colour and flashes of movement.

"Snitch isn't coming you your call Malfoy?" A heavy Irish accent sounded behind him.

He whirled around and saw the other seeker. "Looks like it isn't exactly presenting itself to you either." He spat, not wanting to waste time talking.

But the slim, wiry man continued to tail him around the pitch "We all know how you got here."

"Really now?" Draco said casually, glancing down and then moving forwards again.

"So how much did it cost you?"

Draco felt his anger bubbling "I didn't pay my way into the team." He said tightly.

The small man laughed "You can deny all you want, but we all know you bought your way here and how you used your money to snag that mudblood."

Draco pulled to an abrupt halt and glared, he slid close to the Irishman "I dare you to say that again and we'll see how far you can fly without a broom." He hissed angrily.

There was a pause while they stared at each other. Draco was about to demand an answer when he saw the golden snitch fluttering behind the Irish seeker.

Before the man before him could process the events, Draco had levered himself and jumped off his broom, past the clueless player and caught the snitch in his hand. He fell for a moment before his broom swept under him and he was once again sitting comfortably on his Firebolt.

The crowd went crazy, he could barely hear the referee's whistle above the roar. He was still feeling the anger from before but when he caught the expression on the other seekers face, he couldn't stop an arrogant smirk to grace his features.

"Well done mate!" Anthony yelled, clapping him on the shoulder.

Draco made his way down to the ground and was congratulated by his ecstatic coach. He waved the snitch above his head which caused the crowd which now was a waving mass of white, black and silver to cheer even louder.

When he handed the snitch over to the referee, he caught a glimpse of ginger before he was nearly bowled over by his laughing fiancé.

"Oh that was fantastic!" She yelled in his ear.

Draco felt warmth that had nothing to do with hours of quiddich spreading through him, he couldn't have felt happier.

Harry followed, smiling broadly "Well done Malfoy." Cho also waved her congratulations with Padma who was holding Ron's hand.

"Great catch Malfoy." Ron Weasley called out over Hermione's head.

Draco smiled openly at them "Thank you." He mouthed.

"That was a fantastic match!" Mark continued "Wonderful how you managed to pull together! Wonderful scores Anthony!"

Draco laughed, along with the other team, feeling that a bond of sorts had finally been created between his team mates.

"Are you going to detach yourself anytime soon?" he laughed down at Hermione.

She grinned "I'm so proud of you Draco!"

He kissed her deeply, earning a loud round of applause by his team mates and the crowd of thousands above them.

The Irish team left the pitch dejected expressions on each of their faces.

"Well played." Draco drawled as the seeker passed him.

He gave Draco a glare of loathing but nothing could ruin Draco's elated mood. They had won, and he had Hermione; nothing could be better.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Well I hoped you liked that one, I know the move Draco pulled during the match may have been hard to imagine, I tried to describe it as best as I could.

Yes the wedding is coming! Ha ha, don't beat me up, I'm working on it. It's now November so lets see what Christmas has install for our favourite couple!

Please review! It really encourages me when I get lots of reviews and an enthusiastic response.


	25. Tis The Season To Be Jolly

You're reviews have been a great influence on my writing and thank you so much. Especially to Obnoxiously Peachy Twit 2008, glitterglow, mgleteacher, and chrissy8887779999.

I hope you like this chapter just as much!

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

_**Incredible Save By Malfoy**_

_Yesterday's qualifier match for the Quiddich World Cup proved to be worth every sickle the spectators paid._

_After taking a quick lead, the Worldwide Quiddich Society Team showed their stuff when Malfoy, seeker, performed an incredible leap off his broom to catch the snitch and claim the match._

_Many have been sceptical since the selection of the team as to whether Malfoy deserves to be seeker of the team, after yesterday's performance there seems to be no more lingering doubts in anyone's mind._

_Hermione Granger, Malfoy's fiancé, was also present at the match and the couple openly expressed their affection for one another after the match before the entire crowd. It seems that Malfoy can't go wrong. After years of hearing bad news related to the Malfoy name, readers will be surprised to find that Draco Malfoy has in fact brought much good light to his name._

_Last week Mr Malfoy announced that Malfoy Inc. will be back in business in January next year after being frozen for the last four months._

_The Granger-Malfoy relationship is strong despite earlier doubts and the couple now assure the press they will be marrying March next year._

_Malfoy's amazing save on the pitch yesterday, it appears he unintentionally saved more than just the match._

"Interesting." Hermione mumbled.

She was sitting in bed the day after the match, Draco was still asleep next to her, his features relaxed in deep slumber.

She sipped from a coffee mug that room service had provided and settled comfortably on the pillows.

After the match Mark had taken the team to a local club where they had had a loud party with other fans of the team.

Draco had signed countless autographs and, much to Hermione's delight, was joking with Harry and Ron. She had felt almost as happy as he looked, letting herself be dragged to the dance floor by Ginny and then ceased to think about being self conscious and begun to dance herself silly.

Sometime during the night Draco had come to join her. She had been surprised but didn't mind when he began to dance with her, they were soon joined by Harry, Ron and Padma. She vaguely remembered consuming more alcohol than she would normally take but she hadn't woken with a hang over, unlike her fiancé was likely to later.

She recalled his relaxed demeanour and knew he must have taken in quite a lot to lose his usual poise. The thought made her smile.

She looked down beside her and ran a hand through his lose blonde hair, somewhere in his sleep he stirred and after a moment he opened one eye sleepily.

He looked just like a sleepy owl and she couldn't help but laugh softly.

"Mm?" He grunted disorientated.

"Morning." She slipped out from between the covers and fought back a laugh when his fingers brushed against her arm in weak protest.

He mumbled something into his pillow.

"What?" She saw he had closed his eyes again but was obviously awake.

"Where are you going?" He said, cracking an eyelid again.

She laughed then "To have a shower. You're more wasted than I thought."

He threw her a glare and ran a hand over his face in an attempt to wake up. A groan came from behind Hermione when she picked up a towel.

"Do you have any potions for a hang over?" He asked, his voice rasping slightly.

Hermione gave him a small flask that she had ordered this morning when she woken. He took it with a grunt of thanks and threw it back in one gulp.

"Is that how you were drinking last night?" Hermione asked, pretending to scowl.

Draco smirked "Pretty much."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Mr Emerson, do you think your team has the potential to win the cup this year?"

Mark was seated beside Draco on the long table prepared for their press conference. It appeared not everyone had the potion that Draco had that morning.

It was costly and was sometimes hard to come by.

"Yes, I believe they have the potential to." Mark replied brightly, Draco knew that Mark had some.

"And Mr Malfoy, what are your thoughts on your upcoming match with the French team?"

Draco met Harry's eyes for a moment before turning to answer the question "I have complete confidence in Harry's ability to win the match."

There was a rustling of parchment and a collective gasp. "You won't be playing?"

"No," Draco shook his head and shared a smile with Mark "Harry and I have reached an agreement to play alternate matches."

"Mr Potter, did you propose this?"

Harry took over with ease "No, it was a compromise we made. Draco's busy with other areas of his life and cannot guarantee his presence at every match as a player."

"Are you saying that you don't think you can take being on a professional team?" A loud voice asked obnoxiously.

Draco's smile disappeared and he found the man in the crowd "I am perfectly capable." He glared, just because he was a good guy didn't mean he wouldn't pull out the Malfoy glare when it was duly deserved.

"If Mr Potter wins the next match, you will be playing the Russian team?"

"Yes," Draco nodded, falling back to his pleasant façade. "And I'm certain that we will win."

"Do you think you're marriage will affect your playing?" A woman near the front of the crowd asked.

"We all have ongoing relationships and they don't affect our play." Anthony answered smoothly.

"If anything," Draco continued "they help."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

The Manor seemed so quiet after a week of the media breathing down their necks. Hermione was glad to see the snow covered towers of their large home and sat with a sigh on the nearest armchair.

Draco called to the house elves to bring them refreshments before sitting beside her, fatigue clear in his features.

"You need to sleep."

He looked at her "So do you."

Neither made any move to leave, simply revelling in the calm.

"What are we going to do for Christmas?" Hermione asked suddenly, realising the holiday was nearly here.

Draco shrugged "I've never been a big fan of Christmas."

"But it's one of the best holidays of the year!" Hermione protested in shock.

He laughed "Only to you and other Griffindors."

"We should have a party here." Hermione began.

"A what? And where?" Draco sat up abruptly.

"A party, here and the Manor." Hermione explained, excitement stirring within her.

"I think not." Draco announced firmly.

"Why not?"

"We're planning a wedding, isn't that a big enough party?" Draco took the drink a house elf gave him and drank deeply.

Hermione similarly took her glass but not drinking "But that's in March, what about Christmas?"

Draco frowned at her "You want me to openly welcome people I barely know into _my _household?"

"It's _our_ household." Hermione said heatedly "And they won't be strangers."

"They'll just be people I don't know." He responded dryly.

"Please Draco?" Hermione went over and kissed him gently, her eyes turning to swirling brown orbs.

Draco fought with himself; he must be weakening if he could be convinced by a puppy-eyed woman. "Fine." He grunted.

Hermione laughed in triumph and hugged him tightly "You won't regret it."

She hurried out of the room, any previous fatigue forgotten in her excitement.

Draco ran a hand through his hair, since when had he been so easy to convince?

His comfort came from that fact that no one else could bend him to their will, only Hermione.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Hermione remained busy with the wedding and organising her Christmas party while Draco dedicated his time to their growing business.

In the evenings when Ginny had gone home, Hermione would sit in an armchair by the fire of Draco's study and read while he worked quietly on his papers. Sometimes future business partners would come by Floo to try and strike a deal with him.

Some were clearly uncomfortable that Hermione was there, but Draco refused to tell her to leave for anyone. He never found a way to tell her, but he enjoyed having her there, just her presence was enough in the sometimes too big Manor.

During one meeting, Hermione left to find a house elf and his current guest relaxed considerably.

"You seem uncomfortable with the presence of my fiancé Mr Valasco." Draco picked up a few papers and shuffled them to one side, watching the large man before him out of the corner of his eye.

"I am not used to working with women in the room." He answered guardedly.

Draco smiled icily "She's my business partner in here."

"Of course," Mr Valasco began "I have not said I didn't want her present."

"You don't have to say anything," Draco said, his smiled gone "I believe we are done."

The man before him opened his mouth to protest but caught Draco's expression and stood up hurriedly. "Yes, I believe we are, it was a pleasure meeting you Mr Malfoy."

Draco stood and they shook hands "I believe you know the way out?" But it wasn't a question.

Just as Mr Valasco had left, Hermione re-entered balancing a tray of drinks. "Oh," She said, looking around "He's gone."

"Yes." Draco said, sitting down, not bothering to hide his relief.

"You shouldn't be so picky in business partners." She chided, placing a drink in front of him and taking one for herself.

"I didn't even want business partners in the first place, I have enough investors already."

She sat in the recently vacated chair and smiled "So arrogant, if you don't watch out, people might find that they don't like you."

He laughed then "And I'm so concerned about that why?"

"It's called sarcasm; you're very good at it." She replied dryly.

"One of my many skills." He said smirking.

"Of which 'social interaction' is not one."

Draco threw her an indignant look "I can interact with you, Potter and Weasley, now that's saying something."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

"It's beautiful Hermione! You've out done yourself!" Padma greeted them cheerfully at the door on Christmas eve.

Hermione beamed "Thank you, come in!"

Outside it was snowing lightly, matching the enchanted snow flakes that fell from the ceiling inside.

Ron followed her "Great job Hermione, looks fantastic."

She hugged him enthusiastically "Thanks so much."

The long dining table had been set so that all the two dozen guests could site and enjoy a spectacular lunch. Draco sat beside Hermione at the head of the table and ate quietly, making pleasant conversation with Padma.

After they had eaten, Hermione led her guests to the ball room which had been elaborately decorated with ribbons and enchanted ice crystals.

"It looks beautiful." Draco whispered into her ear as he passed her. She smiled at him and took Harry's hand to dance.

"Things seem to be going well between you two." Harry observed as they danced to the music a small chamber group were providing in the centre of the room.

"They are, I guess I never thanked you Harry." She said, reflecting on how much her life had changed since Harry told her about her fake engagement to Draco Malfoy.

Harry laughed "I never thought it would turn out like this, but you're very welcome."

"It's changed my life Harry," Hermione said seriously "I'm really happy with him."

"I'm glad you are. Everyone is pleased to know you're settling down, Hermione." He told her.

She couldn't find the words then to tell Harry how much his decision had made her life complete. But when she looked into his green eyes, she saw that he understood and there was no need to explain.

"It's been good for Draco too, he's changed."

"Yes, he isn't the same person anymore." She told him, knowing that it was true.

Harry led her to a table where drinks were served by some of the house elves. He was soon whisked away by Cho but Hermione was content to sit and watch everyone.

"Do you plan to dance?" Draco asked, standing in front of her.

She saw his smirk "I'm waiting for someone to ask me."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow "Would you like to dance?"

"It wasn't you." She teased but stood and took his hand.

He wrapped an arm around her waist "You're quite cruel sometimes."

"I never noticed."

Draco laughed "Not many people can see through that mask of innocence you wear."

"Mask? No this is the real me." Hermione grinned up at him.

He twirled her around, "You're so pretty when you're teasing." When she came back to him he whispered into her ear with surprising earnestness, "You're quite stunning every other moment."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

It was past midnight by the time all the guests had left and Hermione finally slumped, exhausted onto a chair.

Immediately house elves came in and began to clear away the glasses and wipe down the tables.

Draco offered his hand to Hermione who took it and they exited the ball room.

"Did you like it?" She asked, stifling a yawn.

"Yes, it was quite enjoyable."

When they reached their bedroom, Draco placed a hand on her shoulder and smirked at her. She was eyeing him suspiciously as he made a great show of opening the door slightly and peeking through the gap.

"What?" she pestered, trying to look over his shoulder, but he gripped her firmly by the elbow.

"Close your eyes." He whispered as though part of some conspiracy.

Hermione frowned, not used to this playful attitude he was showing and unsure of how to act.

"Live a little," He spoke softly "trust me."

Hermione gazed at him a moment longer before closing her eyes as she was told.

Inside Draco felt his heart relax slightly, until he had seen the sceptical expression in her eyes, he hadn't been aware how much it meant to him that she trusted him.

Hermione found herself being led gently through the door and heard Draco shut it gently behind them. Behind her eye lids she could tell that there was light coming from somewhere and she could smell a vaguely familiar scent hanging in the air.

"You can open your eyes now." He told her.

The sight that met her was astounding. The entire room was surrounded in huge bouquets of roses and so many colour flowers she had never seen before.

"Wow." She breathed, the light was dimmed and cast a soft glow over everything which she saw had been impeccably decorated with flowers and tiny ice sculptures which she could have held in her hand.

"Merry Christmas." He said, she turned and saw him leaning casually against the closed door, smiling at her expression.

"This is incredible Draco." She beamed, hugging him tightly and pressing a kiss to his lips.

He was blushing slightly when they parted and she realised that he had been quite nervous about this, she felt that he deserved the world for trying so hard and succeeding.

"I figured it was about time I gave you a proper bouquet of flowers." He smirked, slowly recovering his dignity.

Hermione laughed as the memory of an awkward and clumsy Draco filled her mind.

"_I uh… It… well….this is for you." He blurted, handing the flower to her._

_She took the flower gently, she gazed at it for a moment, then smiled._

"_Thank you Draco, that's very sweet." She hugged him and leaned in to peck him on the cheek. The already burning cheek flamed up._

"_You're welcome." Draco shifted awkwardly._

"They're so beautiful." She walked over to her dresser which was littered in large purple flowers which felt like velvet as she ran her hand down a petal.

Draco came up behind her "You like them?"

"Yes, I've never seen them before." She picked one up and found it to be quite heavy.

"They are very rare; I had to get them sent over from Iceland." He told her "I thought the delivery would be late."

Hermione chuckled "You must have paid an arm and a leg."

"What?" His puzzlement evident in his tone.

"It's a muggle phrase; it means that you paid a lot for them."

"Oh," He placed a kiss on her shoulder "they cost me quite a substantial amount."

"I won't even ask, but thank you." Hermione replied, admiring a sculpture.

It was a butterfly and its enchanted wings fluttered slightly when she neared it.

Draco yawned and caught Hermione doing the same thing, they laughed "I don't know about you, but I personally would not like to sleep here tonight."

Hermione raised an eyebrow "Why not? It's so pretty."

"Sure, if you like sleeping beside plants and the insects that inhabit them." He teased, returning to his normal self. "I'm going to sleep in the room next door, are you coming?"

She took another glance around the room.

"They'll still be here tomorrow, you can keep them however long you want." He said, taking her arm.

"Alright, I'm coming." She laughed.

Once they were in the hallway Draco kissed her with a fiery passion "I love you Hermione."

She was stunned, breathlessly she replied "I love you too Draco."

To Hermione, the smile that swept his face would have been worth all the galleons in the world.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Aw did you get that lovely warm feeling at the end of this? I did! Ha ha!

Please review, I love to hear from you! Thank you so much for reading!


	26. Icing On The Cake

Wow! The amount of reviews I received for the last chapter were incredible! Thank you all so much! I'm really glad you liked it all. I have been a bit worried about Draco becoming too OOC as I proceed but you guys seem to like it, of which I'm really glad.

Huge hugs to White-Pink-Fluffy-Strawberriez, Obnoxiously Peachy Twit 2008, ProwlingKitKat, Chrissy8887779999, mgleteacher, and Kandygurl4.

Imagine I was a star: Wow Aussie? Great to know I've got someone close to home reading!

Fairy Gal: Incredible, did you really read my whole fic in one shot? That's so great! I'm glad you thought it was worth it!

Efa: I feel so lucky you liked my story so much that you wanted to review it! Thanks so much!

Here is the update so many of you demanded of me!

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

It was nearly mid day with Hermione woke up on Christmas day, she stirred and stretched, noticing that Draco's side of the bed was empty.

When she opened her eyes and saw snow falling softly outside. The air inside was warm however due to the fire that had been burning throughout the night.

"I thought you would sleep through your favourite day of the year." A teasing voice drew her head to the doorway where an already dressed Draco stood causally.

She smiled "Merry Christmas to you too."

"Merry Christmas." He replied, sitting at the foot of the bed "So what do you plan to do today?"

Hermione laughed "What everyone does at Christmas; open presents and eat lots of warm food."

He raised an eyebrow "More food? And who said you got any presents?"

She looked pointedly at a small pile of wrapped gifts on the floor in front of the fire place.

"How did they get there I wonder?" He smirked, throwing her a dressing gown and stepping towards the door. "I'll be in the study when you're dressed."

"Do you honestly feel nothing for this day?" She asked, getting up to find some clothing.

He shrugged "Not really I suppose, I haven't for what feels like a long time."

She didn't miss the hint of sorrow in his voice. "You will like it just as much as I do soon."

"I'll take your word for it." He shut the door and she heard his footsteps going down the hallway, wondering what caused him to seem so melancholy.

She sat down once she had put on a pair of jeans and a warm woollen top. The first present was from Ron and Padma who gave her a large book and green scarf that seemed to be longer than she was tall.

A larger box from Harry and Cho contained an assortment of expensive quills and ink pots. There was a small note attached, it read:

_Dear Hermione,_

_Merry Christmas! I hope you like my present for you, Cho was most pedantic about the range of quills and I chose the coloured inks._

_Cho and I are going to Ron's for a Christmas lunch, it would be great for you and Draco to come._

_Have a wonderful Christmas,_

_Harry._

A smile formed on her lips and she didn't bother to wipe it away, if anyone looking thought she was a raving lunatic for the grin that was spread on her face, she would let them think so.

Other aurors and members of the Ministry of Magic she had worked with over the years sent her boxes of chocolate and books, many of which she had read before.

She had saved Draco's present to last even though it had been near the top of the pile.

It was large flat box that had been wrapped in purple paper and tied with a white ribbon. Carefully she undid the bow and pulled aside the paper, when she opened the box she saw a spectacular dress.

It glittered along it's navy blue outer layer. When she took it out of the box, it made a beautiful 'swish' sound and fell to the ground gently. Under the outer layer of blue was a netting of white and another layer of white silk beneath that.

She stood before the mirror and held the dress in front of her, it was stunning.

A note in Draco's curly script had been under the dress.

_Dear Hermione, _it read

_I was at loss as to what you would like for Christmas, you seemed to have everything you wanted and never told me anything that you would desire._

_We have been cordially invited to the annual Dupere ball in London, so I thought to get you this dress to wear to the occasion._

_I have a suspicion you will look beautiful wearing it._

_I suggest you hurry to my study and stop spending so much time sitting on the floor, it is most un-Malfoy-like to do so._

_Draco_

Hermione laughed at his last statement, knowing it was his way of dealing with the awkwardness of intimacy. She placed the letter beside her other cards and hung the dress up with a wave of her wand.

When she entered the study, Draco was seated at the desk, his chair slightly turned as he stared out the window.

"I hurried over." She teased.

He turned and smiled at her "You took much longer than I expected."

She shrugged "I open the best presents last."

He blushed slightly then but tried hard to cover it, "So you…will go to the ball then?"

"Yes, I don't want that gorgeous dress to go to waste." She leaned over and kissed him in thanks. "I like it very much."

"I'm glad." He whispered, his eyes clouding over with an unfamiliar emotion; sentiment?

"Do you know, you're eyes are the most unique shade of grey." She sat on the desk, peering into his swirling orbs.

He seemed uncomfortable under her open scrutiny "No, I never took note."

She laughed "They've got to be what has gotten you this far."

"What do you mean?" He stood up and faced the window, his hands clasped behind his back.

"They're very scary when you want them to be, they can tease, mock and sometimes, they can make me feel that everything in the world is just perfect." She finished softly, knowing it was only true for her.

He was silent, showing no signs of reaction.

After a while, he turned to face her, "I would have thought these eyes of mine had seen too much for you to feel safe."

She was struck by the words he did not speak but hung in the air, fragile as the ice sculptures he had given her last night.

"I don't see your memories, I see your soul." She replied evenly.

"Then you see a broken wall." He told her sadly.

She reached out and placed a comforting arm on his, "It's fixed; didn't you not notice?" She said, her voice earnest.

He held her gaze then, she saw some confusion in his expression but it soon cleared "Yes, I can see it is."

She grinned and their lips met.

Outside, it stopped snowing, leaving the world coated in a new layer of pure white snow.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Only one month to go!" Ginny exclaimed when she saw Hermione on February 19th.

Hermione nodded enthusiastically "Yes I know, everything is set."

"That's incredible planning Hermione."

"I had two very good helpers." She smiled, leading Ginny to the guest lounge where they sat, enjoying the warmer weather.

"Do you think Draco is nervous?" Ginny asked.

The thought hadn't ever occurred to Hermione, he always seemed so calm and had everything under control.

"Maybe he is, though I can't tell." She said honestly, looking up at the portrait that now sat above the fire place.

It had been painted just before Christmas. Her image sat on a richly decorated chair and Draco stood behind her, a hand placed on her shoulder.

The two painted figures smiled and waved in her direction. She returned a smile, before Draco stepped out of the frame to the painting next to it to sit down himself.

"He probably is." Ginny said after a moments thought "Are you?"

"Me?" She leaned back on the couch "Maybe I will be on the day, but not at the moment."

"Excited then?" Ginny pressed.

Hermione laughed "Yes, you could say I'm excited."

"I wonder when Harry is getting married."

Hermione had been thinking the same thing "When he's ready I suppose."

Just then, Draco entered the room. "Ginny." He greeted formally.

"Is everything alright?" Hermione asked, turning to him.

He nodded "Everything is fine, I was wondering if you ladies would like to join me for lunch?"

They obliged and made their way to the dining room where three places had already been set and their dishes materialised when they took their seats.

"I've been asked by the Prophet to attend a press conference after the wedding, with you of course." Draco said, looking at Hermione.

"Really? About the wedding I suppose."

Draco nodded again "They wanted to 'have a word' afterwards."

Hermione smirked, "Seeing as it will be our wedding day, I think we should be generous and give them two." Draco raised his eyebrows in question. "How about, 'bugger off'?"

The three of them laughed merrily, the atmosphere was light and for the first time, Ginny found herself enjoying a game of wizards chess with Draco.

He gloated when she admitted defeat but that didn't take away the playful glitter in his eyes that seemed to be forever present now.

"Perhaps you would like a rematch Weasley?" He offered with a smirk.

Ginny grinned "Anytime Draco."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

This chapter was very short, but I'm sure you know why. I hear wedding bells in the distance! (actually very close by!) Hope you're as excited as I am!

Leave a review and I'll get onto the next chapter as soon as I can. Thank you once again for your great response to my last two chapters. I have a music competition on next week so I will have to put it on hold (cruel, I know). Wish me luck!


	27. Dupere Ball

Thanks to a great number of people pointing out that they wanted to hear about the ball, I've decided to put another chapter in before the wedding which will detail the event. Originally I thought you might find it boring, but if you're willing to read, I'm willing to write!

I have also discovered (thanks to your reviews) that in England they say "happy Christmas". Sorry about that, it didn't even occur to me they might say it different over there, so please excuse my error.

I'm astounded by your enthusiastic response to the past two chapters, thank you all so much!

imagine I was a star: Yeah, New Zealand is a great place for a holiday I think. Did you come to Auckland? That's where I'm from and it rocks! Ha ha, thanks a lot for your review, just because you don't have an account doesn't mean I won't acknowledge your positive reviews

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger, welcome." A stout butler greeted them cordially at the entrance of the Dupere manor.

"Thank you." Hermione murmured as they were led through the large doors and to a gothic styled ballroom. It had columns lining the room which splayed at the ceiling in patterns of glittering filigree.

"Quite a sight isn't it?" Draco whispered, leading her through to a crowd of people who were so finely dressed she suddenly felt inadequate.

"Yes, quite spectacular." She replied softly.

As they approached, a woman who looked to be in her mid 50's smiled in exaggerated fashion. "Mr Malfoy! Such a pleasure to see you, and you brought your fiancé." She spared a glance at Hermione before turning her radiant smile back to Draco.

"How have you been these past months? We have heard much of your activities." She glanced arrogantly at Hermione once again.

Draco tightened his grip on Hermione's arm slightly "The press are always out to make scandal of our actions." His courteous smile was in place for the ladies that made their way to greet him.

"Indeed!" The lady said "I look forward to your wedding."

"As do I." Draco replied "Though I don't believe you have met my fiancé, Hermione." Here he pushed her forward every so slightly so she was in clear view.

"A pleasure to meet you all." Hermione smiled softly. She felt entirely out of place here, it occurred to her that this was the sort of company Draco had grown up with; she had never felt quite so awkward.

"The pleasure is ours dear!" A younger woman smiled warmly "Mr Malfoy's soon-to-be wife!"

A scattering of laughter and smiled spread throughout the circle. Draco took her arm once more, said a few soft words to the woman next to him and led her further from the crowd.

"You held up pretty well." He said, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

She frowned "They don't like me do they?"

"They will." He assured her "When they find out how much of an influence you are on me."

She laughed "I can't tell you to pick up a quill if you didn't want to."

"You underestimate your powers of persuasion Miss Granger." He teased.

Just as Hermione was about to reply a large man appeared at her side. She tried to hide her surprise.

"Good evening Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger."

Hermione nodded her head in acknowledgement.

Draco reached however, reached out and clasped hands with the towering male. "Good to see you." his tone slipping into a casual drawl.

"Likewise! And this would be your fiancé?" He had dark hair and friendly eyes that warmed when he smiled.

"Yes, this is Hermione." Draco said, a hint of pride in his voice.

Hermione felt herself blush slightly "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Ha!" the man bellowed loudly "She is a quiet one!"

Draco laughed "It's always the quiet ones." Hermione once again felt out of place, but Draco took her hand and turned to whisper in her ear.

"Relax, he's a good friend of mine."

She turned and smiled at the man. He grinned back "I hear you used to be an auror."

"Yes, I was." She said, beginning to feel more at ease with his friendly manner.

"A close friend of our Harry Potter then?" He continued, signalling to a house elf to bring a tray of drinks.

Hermione nodded "We've been friends for years now."

"I believe Mr Malfoy has forgotten his manners;" He laughed, his entire frame seemed to tremble with his deep laughter. "My name is Barry Seabold."

Draco grinned lopsidedly "A simple error."

"Quite highly bred isn't he?" Barry told Hermione in an undertone which could be heard by Draco. They shared a laugh.

"I can't say I'm not." Hermione smirked., taking a drink from the tray a short elf offered them.

Barry feigned an expression of surprise "He's rubbed off on you! The smirk, the arrogance…Poor woman."

Draco frowned then "I would think you better than to insult my fiancé."

"Pity isn't the same as in insult my friend." Barry replied, his tall body turning around. "And here would be my wife."

Hermione found herself in the company of two extremely tall people. The woman, who had long curly blonde hair and clear blue eyes, looked down her pointed nose at her husbands company.

"Good evening Mr Malfoy." She spoke in a nasally tone and held her hand out which Draco slowly lifted to his lips.

"Hermione, this is my wife, Bianca." Barry introduced, not at all phased by his wife's obvious distaste of her presence.

"It's nice to meet you." Hermione said without any sincerity. The air crackled with a moment of tension before Bianca turned to her husband.

"I believe we haven't spoken to Nigel in a long time; please excuse us." She added, inclining her head slightly in Draco's direction.

Barry winked at Hermione before being led off by his wife into the crowd.

"He seems nice." She offered.

Draco smiled "Yeah, he is. Bianca is another story; but they seem happy together."

He put his glass on a tray as it passed by at waist height and looked around "This isn't an event to come to if you want polite social interaction."

Hermione gazed around at the well dressed women and their expensively clad husbands. Draco was wearing a suit made by a personal tailor. Hermione knew her dress must have cost a great deal but she felt that her body didn't match it.

"Maybe we should go?" she suggested softly.

He looked at her "You look stunning; they're only biting because you're new and your dress probably cost more than their whole wardrobe put together."

She gave him a puzzled look "How can you possibly know that?"

"Because I've seen them before" he said matter-of-factly. "The designs are all the same as my mothers."

"So the purpose of this ball was?"

He laughed "To spend a ridiculous amount of money on clothing you'll only wear once for fear of being caught in the same outfit again. And to exchange gossip." He added.

Hermione finished her wine, placed it on a tray carried by a house elf and took Draco's hand "So why are we here?"

He smirked cheekily at her "Because I needed to get you a Christmas present."

Hermione smacked his shoulder playfully "You made us come here just so you could buy me this dress?"

He rubbed his shoulder, laughter escaping his lips "What else could I do?"

"Oh Draco Malfoy!"

He continued laughing and pulled her to a cleared area for dancing. They stood close, swaying gently to the music.

"I'm not quite as creative as you." He said teasingly.

Hermione blushed, she still remembered giving Draco his Christmas present.

"_I have something for you." She said slowly, getting up from the dining table._

_Draco raised an eyebrow "Is it going to endanger my life?"_

_She laughed "No, wait here."_

_A few minutes later she reappeared, followed by two house elves who were carrying a large rectangular package wrapped in red and green._

"_It's a Christmas present." She explained when he gave her a questioning look._

"_Oh." Draco stood and walked towards it. He tugged at the bow which came away with ease and fell to the floor. He progressed through the layers of paper and then another layer of soft lint-free material._

_When he finally got it free he let it fall to the floor as well and found himself staring at a painting of Malfoy gardens. It was full of detail and exceptionally accurate; but it wasn't moving._

_He stood for a long time, staring at it and waiting for the flowers to move or a branch to stir. But nothing happened._

"_It's a muggle painting; I got it done by an artist while you were out." Hermione told him shyly._

_He grinned and turned to hug her, placing a thankful kiss on her lips "It's rather lovely."_

_She seemed pleased that he liked it "I thought it was nice too."_

_He laughed "How utterly creative of you."_

"_I didn't know what else to get you;" she blushed "you already have everything you could possibly want or need."_

"_Thanks to you." He murmured._

"It just came to my mind one day." She explained, leaning her head against his chest.

He rested his chin on her head gently "It looks very nice in the library."

"I think the other portraits are frustrated that they can't get in." She laughed, remembering the portrait of Draco who had complained so much about it she place a silencing charm on his frame for a week.

"They'll get over it one day." He said softly, not really paying attention to what he was saying.

Their slow dance was interrupted by a tapping on Draco's shoulder.

"Anthony." He broke away, shaking his friends' hand. "I didn't know you were coming."

The sandy-haired Australian grinned "Yeah, I wasn't too sure about coming but I had nothing better to do." He shrugged.

"This is my fiancé, Hermione." Draco indicated to her and took her hand.

"I've heard a lot about you." Anthony told her "It's good to finally meet you."

Hermione shook his hand and smiled. "I've heard quite a bit about you too." She laughed.

Draco smiled "Have you had a drink Anthony?"

He nodded "I was wondering if you might part with your fiancé for a moment while I dance with her."

Draco pretended to seem reluctant but winked playfully at Hermione before nodding and placing a kiss on her cheek.

"You're too kind." Anthony teased as he took Hermione's hand and they danced casually between the other couples.

"I think you've done something really great for him." He said quietly.

Hermione stared up at him "Me?"

"Yeah, he's not one to show it, but he really loves having you around." He smiled at her, "he has this look of pride every time he introduces you."

"Well…" She looked down "that's good then."

He laughed "You seem to quiet to handle his temper."

"You've seen him angry?" she asked, finding it very easy to talk to him.

"Yes in fact," he held back chuckles at the memory "he could be a wicked beater."

Hermione laughed too "I don't doubt it."

"Will you be attending the next match?"

Hermione nodded "Yes, I believe we will."

Anthony nodded and released her arms as the last notes of the song faded. Soft chatter filled the room and he led her to a table where Barry and Draco were sharing a glass of wine.

"You decided to come back." Draco teased rising to take Hermione's hand.

"Yes, she's not quite what I thought." Anthony laughed, winking at Hermione.

She blushed and feigned an expression of hurt.

"Would you look at that, she's heart broken." Draco smiled "We should be going."

"It was good seeing you again Malfoy." Barry shook his hand once more and placed a kiss on Hermione's hand.

"You too, I trust you will be at the wedding?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Yes!" Barry laughed "Anthony and I will be sure to attend."

"Good." Draco replied a hint of smirk on his face.

"Good evening." Hermione waved and they made their exit without bumping into any one else.

"Well done for surviving your first soiree." He mumbled as they stepped outside.

"What makes you think I haven't been to one before?" She retorted, wrapping her coat closer around her frame.

Draco smiled "I don't think you've been to one like that."

"Well if you put it that way, no I guess not."

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer despite her squeal of protest "I love showing you off."

"You're obsessed with your own ego." She muttered but his words had spread a lovely warm feeling through her.

He chuckled and leaned in close so she could feel his lips on her earlobe and his warm breath on her neck. "I'm obsessed with you." He whispered.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

How was that? I am so glad my English exam is over! (I put up another fic today called 'Come With Me' – please read!) even if I had to do it in the dark because of a power outage throughout the city!

Thank you so much for your reviews! They are so fantastic! Please review and let me know what you think of the up coming wedding!

Special thanks to OneWhiteTulip (I know you're still dedicated! Thank you!) Obnoxiously Peachy Twit 2008,and Seldom Darlin.


	28. It All Ends With The Beginning

Thank you so much for your continual support and enthusiastic reviews. I love to read them after a busy day at school!

BlackRosePosion-Orchid: No, I'm afraid I'm not a huge fan of rugby, not a huge fan of any contact sports! But I believe if I had to pick a team, it would be the Crusaders (they seem to be good from what I hear) great to know another Auckalander is reading!

This is the concluding chapter so please enjoy!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

March 19th dawned a spectacular spring day, the sun shone brightly down on the people below, its warmth seeping through to every corner of Malfoy grounds.

House elves had been up since early hours of the morning aiding the caterers in their preparations.

Draco had been in a room near the west wing for the night and was grateful of Harry's presence even though he would never openly admit it.

He had awoken while it was still dark, heard the noise of many hushed voices outside his window and realised he wouldn't be able to sleep any longer. Throughout the morning, he didn't open his curtains, knowing he will see the gardens transformed into their wedding grounds.

Harry had arrived by Floo in his room around seven, dressed and smiling. "How do you feel mate?" He asked, brushing ash off his suit.

Draco had given him a lopsided grin "I feel like I'm about to be sick."

"I think that's normal." Harry laughed, settling himself on a chair by the fire. "You'll come out of this a man with a purpose."

"Are you going to preach to me?" Draco sat in the chair opposite him, a note playful challenge in his voice.

Harry chuckled "No, I wouldn't dare."

They shared the next few hours, talking and eating. Harry forced Draco to eat a slice of toast and drink a cup of tea to calm him.

He saw that despite trying to keep a calm demeanour, Draco Malfoy was probably more scared than he'd ever been in his life. His hands trembled slightly as he reached out for the cup; his eyes shifted from the clock to the curtained window and back to the clock several times.

"Looking at the time every three seconds won't make it move any faster." He teased, trying his best to lighten the atmosphere.

"Who says I want it to go faster?" Draco shot back, quickly regaining his composure.

Harry wondered how Hermione was feeling, he had told Cho to keep her company but no doubt, his best friend would want to oversee everything and make sure that the setting was perfect, down to the last blade of grass.

"This means a lot to us." Harry said quietly.

"This marriage?" Draco inquired, drawing his eyes once again away from the clock on the mantle.

Harry nodded "The fact that you're there for Hermione."

"Oh." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"We never really got on at Hogwarts," here Draco gave him a pointed look "alright, we hated each other. But you've done a great good for Hermione, and personally, it's enough for me to forget our past."

Draco considered his words for a moment, knowing how he and Harry had become friends. He had done it all for her, hadn't he? But no, that would be wrong.

He had done it for himself too. When he was younger, he used to wonder if the only thing to life was serving Voldemort; he had discovered that it wasn't. His ingrained beliefs had refused to accept it and since he had changed sides, he had wanted confirmation that there was more to life.

That's what he got when Hermione entered his life; something to live for, and now with their marriage, a purpose in life. His friendship with Harry had sprouted from the fact he faced everyday that he had no friends.

Being called 'mate' was something new to him of late; he enjoyed it. He had reasons for everything he had done since his decision to change sides during the war.

"I hope she doesn't decide she doesn't want to go through with it." He said dryly.

Harry laughed "Don't be so negative, she's probably bubbling with excitement right now."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"I want it straight!" Hermione yelled for the tenth time that morning. She was sitting before an elaborate dressing table littered with make up and hair potions.

Her hairdresser who had been highly recommended by Ginny, had been trying to tell her that she looked most stunning with curly hair and shouldn't have it straightened.

Cho had been with her since early that morning and tried hard to be diplomatic but it was proving fruitless.

"I assure you, your hair is most becoming when it is curly; it's also natural." The hairdresser continued to say, smiling sweetly.

Hermione huffed "I'll do it myself if you won't."

Immediately she bent over Hermione's head and picked up a bottle of thick, clear liquid to straighten Hermione's hair.

"Thank you." Hermione sighed, knowing she wasn't thanking her for anything.

Cho smiled slightly "Calm down Hermione, everything will be perfect."

"I am quite calm Cho." Hermione assured her; inside her was a tumbling mass of butterflies.

"Do you want something to drink?"

"No thank you."

Cho held a cup out to her anyway "You should have something to drink."

Reluctantly, Hermione took the cup and sipped it. She looked down at her billowing dress and felt slightly better.

"Remember to breathe when you're out there." Cho laughed.

Hermione shot her a glare but she too soon dissolved into laughter. "It'll be on my to-do list."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

In a cleared area beside the lake, a large platform had been placed before hundreds of cushioned chairs.

Through the centre was a wide aisle bordered with tall arches decorated with flying red and silver ribbons. The gentle breeze that swept through the grounds ruffled the petals of hundreds of white and red roses that lined the edges of the platform.

There was an enchanted wall of water that would hide Hermione before she began her walk down the aisle.

Ron had been at the Manor for two hours, supervising the arrangement of tables and seats in the dinning hall. He had never been inside the grand room before; Hermione told him that they had never used it before.

It was huge, nearly as big as the Great Hall at Hogwarts. The sounds of caterers and house elves hurrying around echoed against the high ceiling. Hermione had instructed that all enchantments be lifted from the ceiling and the natural light of the day be allowed in.

He gazed up now, seeing blue skies and brilliant sunshine. In front of him were an uncountable number of tables covered in white silk table cloths with gold trim. Sparkling sets of china ware were set before each cushioned chair and silver cutlery which had been painstakingly chosen by Hermione one winter afternoon.

An area near the front of the hall had been left clear for dancing afterwards, a small orchestra was already setting up as he stood watching them.

"Is everything going well in the kitchens?" He asked a passing house elf.

"Oh yes sir." It told him, nodding enthusiastically. "Everything is going as planned."

Ron nodded and stepped outside to overlook and decorating. Some early guests were already milling around and waved at him in greeting. He saw that they were satisfied with the wine and non-alcoholic punch that had been supplied.

Padma was showing the minister to his place and had a pleasant smile on her face as he tottered over to the platform.

When all of the five hundred guests had arrived, he led them to their seats and told Padma to get Draco; the time was drawing near.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Draco nearly fell out of his seat when someone knocked on the door. Harry fought down a laugh and answered it.

"Padma." She smiled "Is everything alright?"

Padma was dressed in a pretty pale blue gown that reached her ankles and a white shawl wrapped securely around her shoulders. She flashed perfectly white teeth in Harry's direction "Yes everything is perfect. It's time for Draco to come out."

Harry heard a shaky exhale behind him but when he turned around, Draco's mouth was set in a firm line and he appeared to have total control of the situation.

"You look wonderful Draco." Padma beamed.

Draco nodded slightly but otherwise said nothing. He felt that if he opened his mouth he would throw back the breakfast Harry had forced him to eat.

Harry clapped Draco on the shoulder on the way out, an unusual action but appreciated none the less.

"How are you holding up?" Padma inquired as they made their way down a flight of stairs.

Draco swallowed "Just great." She laughed at his sarcasm.

"It's a perfect day, I'm sure it will be perfect." He said nothing but smiled shakily in her direction.

All this excitement was making him queasy.

"Just wait here." She said when they were at the platform.

Draco looked around and nodded his head at a few business associates who had come and waved at Barry. The red and silver arches were picture perfect; he knew Hermione would be pleased.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Hermione was standing at the door to her room with a dozen or so other women running around madly for last minute preparations. She stood calmly near the door, breathing deeply and trying to ignore the bustle of activity around her.

"They're drooping." Cho waved a hand in the direction of Hermione's flowers.

Ginny hurried over, wand in hand "Oh they'll be fine, just a moment." She waved her wand and the flowers in Hermione's hand which had begun to wither sprung up and released the sweet scent of pollen.

"I think we're ready." Cho looked around. Her and Ginny were the only bridesmaids and were dressed in identical gowns of green and gold silk.

"We should go then." Hermione said calmly. The hairdresser and make up people left with wishes of luck and she felt herself smiling in return. She was getting married.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Draco held his breath when the orchestra began to play. Their notes soared up into the sky and spread through the crowd like ripples through a lake.

To his left, a family of swans who had recently made the lake their home, were drifting closer to him as though coming to watch as well.

Out from behind a large wall of water, Ginny and Cho appeared. Everyone was standing up but on the platform he could see them clearly.

They wore beautiful gowns that wrapped around their frames, he could see the silky gold under layer swishing at their feet. Hermione had chosen well.

As they progressed under the arches, soft white and red petals began to fall in their wake. They both smiled at him as they ascended the steps and stood on the opposite side of the platform to him. He didn't know if he smiled back.

When she came out from the curtain of water, he felt a sensation he had never experienced before. It seemed as though his heart had jumped into his throat.

She was dressed in an exquisite pearly white gown that billowed out and matching white shoes that could be seen as she stepped out and onto the path of petals.

He couldn't make out her features behind the veil but hoped very much she was smiling.

Everyone was in awe at the beauty of the ceremony and Hermione's dress. He was in awe.

The vows they took passed in a blur, he felt himself saying the words and saw her lips curve upwards behind her veil. An unmistakable joy spread through him as he slipped the ring onto her soft fingers.

When she lifted her veil he knew he was grinning like a mad-man, but for once, he didn't give a damn what anyone thought.

Their lips met with a flash of lightning; or it felt that way at least. He couldn't help but lean in for more. In the distance he heard loud cheering and clapping.

She was grinning up at him when they broke away and stood, basking in the joy of the moment. 'Nothing could ever compare to this' He thought.

"Are you hungry?" She whispered into his ear.

He laughed, finding the situation incredibly funny. She laughed with him and placed another kiss on his lips, silencing his loud rumbling chuckles.

"I'm starving." He whispered back, smiling against her lips.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The ball room was the cause of much chatter during the wedding reception. The bright sunshine streaming down onto the hundreds of silk covered tables and glittering tableware.

Hermione, Draco, Harry, Cho, Ron, Padma and Ginny sat on the largest table with Barry, Bianca and Anthony who had brought his girlfriend, Melissa. There was a lot of chatter as everyone was seated and many came to the main table to send their congratulations.

When all the guests were finally seated, Anthony stood and cleared his throat. The hall fell into silence.

"Well," He began "I'm Anthony, best man. Draco and I haven't known each other long, but we don't need to be life-long friends for me to know that this is the best day of his life."

A swell of understanding laughter spread through the hall and it soon fell silent once more.

"It really is an honour for me to be here as best man and see how many of you have come to celebrate this new stage of my friends' life. On the quiddich pitch, we're labelled the 'best in the world' and in the office, Draco is the 'stern boss you don't mess with', but here, in this hall sitting with his new wife, Draco Malfoy is a loving husband who is caring, friendly and everything his pride won't let him admit."

More laughed while Draco's cheeks were tinged with pink. Hermione held his hand and smiled.

"And the crazy woman that agreed to marry him?" Anthony grinned down at Hermione "She's the bravest person I will ever know; not just because she married Draco here. She fought in a war, she saved hundreds of lives, she suffered her own personal losses, but she's still here and knows that she can still find happiness after the dark years of the war."

Many murmured their agreement and Hermione received many smiles across the hall.

"I'm haven't been around for a long time, but I know that Hermione is the best person for Draco, they're matched in stubbornness and intellect which will keep them occupied for years to come. All I'm trying to say is, this couple we came to see married today are two different worlds coming together to find peace and happiness; I wish you two can enjoy the rest of your lives with each other in bliss."

Applause filled the hall, Hermione wiped a tear from her eye with the napkin and gave Anthony a watery smiled in thanks.

Draco nodded slightly to a house elf in the corner and immediately the first course appeared before everyone. He took a moment to look around, everyone was eating and smiling.

He glanced down at Hermione who was apparently doing the same as him. She turned to him suddenly and her eyes were filled with an intriguing sincerity.

She leaned closer to him and he bent his head to hear her quiet words "My parents, they would have loved you."

He stared at her, she stared back for a moment before smiling softly.

Draco leaned in the kissed her deeply, he tasted forgiveness and devotion.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ta da! Wow that was incredible! That's it, 'Post war relations' is over. I must extend a huge thanks to everyone who reviewed. This has been a fantastic story to write and I have had a great time thanks to all your enthusiastic reviews!

If anyone is interested, inspiration for Malfoy Manor came from an image I saw of Moszna Palace in Poland (you can google it) which once belonged to the German Tiele-Winckler familiy. It's is fantastic and looks just like I imagined Malfoy Manor would be.

I appreciate every review I've received, I'd like to extend a special thanks to Obnoxiously Peachy Twit 2008, OneWhiteTulip, White-Pink-Fluffy-Strawberriez, Chrissy8887779999, ProwlingKitkat, KandyGurl4, nikpik, seldom darling, glitterglow, and imagine I was a star.

If you're all keen, I'm thinking of writing a sequel. This has been great (if a little distracting) so I'd like to know how everyone feels about a sequel.

Once again THANK YOU for your support throughout this story, it's made it an enjoyable experience!


End file.
